Wayne Rooney was a better all-round player than Cristiano Ronaldo when he arrived at Manchester United, claims Rio Ferdinand.
The England captain joined United for £27 million in 2004, one year after Ronaldo, but according to Ferdinand it was the Englishman who was destined to become a football immortal.
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"It's hard to explain just how much excitement there was at Old Trafford when he (Rooney) joined us. He signed a year after Cristiano Ronaldo but Rooney was the better all-round player," Ferdinand told The Sun.
"He was a more mature footballer who could bring the rest of the team into the game and could score and make goals.
"Cristiano was special, too, and his tricks, flicks and dribbles were fantastic. But at the time he did not have the rounded game which Wazza had."
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Ferdinand, who joined QPR this summer after his contract at Old Trafford expired, also revealed how dsitraught Ronaldo was after he famously clashed with Rooney at the 2006 World Cup.
"He said to me, "Can I talk to Wazza, is he OK," Ferdinand adds.
"He asked me to go and get him and kept saying, 'I didn't try to get him sent off, I really didn't.'"
"He was worried it was going to affect their relationship at United. I'm not sure what they said to each other but by the time both teams left the ground it was pretty much sorted out between the two of them."
Ronaldo left Manchester United in 2009 for a then world record fee of £80 million and has since rivalled Lionel Messi for the best player of his generation.
Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo worked harder than Wayne Rooney to improve his game? Have your say in the comment section below.
