Wayne Rooney explains why he thinks Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo

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Wayne Rooney explains why he thinks Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo

Wayne Rooney has revealed why he thinks Lionel Messi is superior to his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rooney and Ronaldo have been going back-and-forth in the media in the last week after the latter responded bitterly to footballing criticisms from the former, insisting he is better looking and they are no longer friends.

Despite Ronaldo's petulant outbursts, Rooney has remained magnanimous throughout the saga, sympathising with the Portuguese's inability to accept where he's at this late into his playing career.

In an interview with The Times, Rooney explained that winning the upcoming World Cup would do wonders for either Messi or Ronaldo's legacy, but the former Barcelona star will go down as the better player in his books.

"For me, Argentina are the favourites," Rooney said of the World Cup. "Unlike in 2018, they have plenty of good, solid players around Lionel Messi such as Lautaro Martínez, Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul and of course Angel Di Maria.

"Winning the Copa America last year will have given them confidence and has taken a bit of pressure off them. The climate will suit them too. The only thing they are missing is a No 9, that focal point in attack, but I think they will be really dangerous."

He added: "It would be a great story for football if either Messi or Ronaldo won the World Cup. I have heard some of the Argentine players saying that they want to win it for Messi. That’s crazy - and might only increase the pressure on them.

"Everyone has different views on Messi and Ronaldo but I have said many times that I think Messi is the best. I have watched lots of videos of Diego Maradona, who was a similar player, but Messi is better. He has everything - the way he controls games, his dribbling, his assists - whereas Ronaldo is more of a goalscorer."