Recently crowned Champions League winner, the Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has heaped praise onto Manchester United’s captain Wayne Rooney.
The Barcelona forward has described Rooney as as "good as any player in Europe."
The two attacking players have met three times in the Champions League and Messi has won the battle twice against Rooney. He believes Rooney is blessed with exceptional talent.
Messi says Rooney is an exceptional player
Messi said that "if you look at the technical ability of a player like Wayne Rooney, he is as good as any player in Europe" but said another key quality of a player who "has exceptional quality" was that he doesn't just have "great technical ability, but also works very hard for his team."
Messi suggested that he would be happily pair up with Rooney in future but also says he is "sure Manchester United will never want to let him leave, though."
Rooney has endured a underwhelming season as he was able to find the net only fourteen times this year but Messi has no doubt about his talent.On international level Rooney is close to become England’s all time goalscorer, with two goals away from Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals.Rooney has shown immense maturity this year when handed the captain’s armband both at club and international level.
Rooney praised by Champions League winner
Rooney blasted on footballing stage with his sparkling performances for his boyhood club Everton. He joined the Red Devils in 2005 for a record fee for a teenager at that time. Since then it has been no looking back for the England captain. Entering in his 12th season at United in August, Rooney has rabbed twelve major trophies including five Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy.
On club level he is just twenty goals shy from Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 249 goals for Manchester United.In one or possible two season he will break that record as he penned a new five year deal last year at United to see out his career at Red Devils. Rooney impressed the new manager Louis van Gaal with his versatile nature and attitude which landed him the captain’s armband.