Rooney Explains Why Lionel Messi Is Far Ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo

• Wayne Rooney has chosen Lionel Messi as the greatest ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo
• The former England international explained Messi is always on control on the pitch
• The Argentine and his teammates won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar by beating France

Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has explained why Lionel Messi is ahead of Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo, following the end of the 2022 World Cup.

For many years, there has been serious rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo, with fans of these two players often engaging in big debates and heated arguments over who is better.

When these two superstars were in the Spanish La Liga, many fans stayed glued to El Clasico at the stadium and on television - simply because they would have the chance to see Ronaldo and Messi in action.

Interestingly, Ronaldo and Messi have the highest numbers of Ballon d'Or awards between them, with the Argentine having seven and the Portuguese having five.

Messi vs Ronaldo: World's most beautiful footballer makes GOAT decision

Football

What was said by Rooney

According to the report on Kickoff, Rooney said:

"I have the greatest respect for Ronaldo, and when people argue that he is the greatest, I know where they are coming from and I respect that opinion. But for me, Messi is just different."

Rooney said that from facing Messi several times, it was his ability to take and hold the ball, control games, run at players, and passing and scoring which made him the difference.

Ronaldo named in worst team

Earlier, Sports Brief had reported how Ronaldo’s miserable outing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup for Portugal earned him a spot in the tournament's worst team, following the conclusion of the competition.

The 37-year-old forward endured a miserable tournament in Qatar for the Selecao and scored just one goal, as the 2016 European champions were dumped out in the quarter-final.

Ronaldo was left on the bench during his country's knockout games at the recently concluded Mundial, and has now been listed in a statistics provider's worst team along with Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez and Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.