When asked to name the one English player who would have flourished in La Liga during his time at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo was certain that in his opinion, Steven Gerrard was not the one who would have done so.
When Ronaldo, who is now 40 years old, talks, fans, the media, and players all pay attention to what he has to say. Ronaldo is one of the most revered footballers of all time.
A Portugal international who is now playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League is now entering his fifth decade of professional football.
On the other hand, in 2009, he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a deal that represented a world record at the time and was worth €94 million (£80 million respectively).
Kaka, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, and Alvaro Arbeloa were just a few of the players that Los Blancos brought in during that summer. Manuel Pellegrini, who was the manager at the time, was pleased with the signings of these players.
In addition, Ronaldo stated that he desired for an English player to follow him to the Santiago Bernabeu, despite the fact that Alonso and Benzema, in particular, went on to have excellent careers at Madrid.
Given that Ronaldo referred to the player in issue as the “best I’ve played with” before describing how Scholes “helped” him a great deal during their time together at Manchester United, you may be under the impression that the man in question was Paul Scholes, Ronaldo’s former colleague at Manchester United.
On the other hand, Ronaldo asserted in 2009 that Wayne Rooney “would be a sensation out here [in La Liga].”
“If he were to come, he would be an incredible asset,” Ronaldo stated. “There is little doubt that he is one of the best players in the world, and this is the ideal place for them to show off their skills.”
Further, he stated, “Wayne possesses all of the skills and determination that you require in order to make a fine career here.”
Over the course of the past several years in England, he has demonstrated exactly how talented he is.
It is beyond a doubt that he would be the same kind of player if he were to play in Spain. At some point in the future, it would be wonderful to have him visit Real Madrid.
“I am aware that it would be a significant process for him to relocate from England.
He has a deep affection for the nation, a deep passion for Manchester, and he is a native of Liverpool. And he would do well to join United as a club. But you never know what may happen in the future.”
Not just Ronaldo, but a number of other people also provided such wonderful remarks. The phrase “once-in-a-generation player” was also used by Lionel Messi to describe Wayne Rooney while he was speaking in the year 2015.
Concerning the friendship between Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo
Rooney and Ronaldo are well-known for their legendary altercation that took place during the quarterfinal match between Portugal and England in Germany in 2006.
Before the referee Horacio Marcelo Elizondo pulled the England striker off the field, it looked like Rooney had stamped on Ricardo Carvalho, who was playing centre back for Portugal. The score was tied at 0-0.
In the minutes that followed, Ronaldo expressed his approval of the decision, much to Rooney’s dismay, and then the Portugal player gave him a wink. In light of the fact that they were United teammates at the time, fans were left wondering how the friendship between the two would be restored after the event. However, Rooney provided an explanation of what took place while he was appearing on The Overlap in the year 2024.
“After the game, I had a conversation with him in the tunnel, and he seemed to forget about it,” Rooney declared.
Throughout the remainder of the competition, I wished him the best of luck.
It was after that that Sir Alex Ferguson contacted me to make sure I was well, and I was OK. He was concerned about my well-being. I believe that Ronaldo was a little bit terrified.
In spite of the event that occurred in 2006, the two individuals continue to hold a mutual regard for one another.
And Rooney went so far as to say that the friendship between the two of them is “really good” while he was speaking on the Football Daily podcast that was broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live in the year 2024.
“We had a really good relationship, but we were the complete opposites,” said Rooney in his explanation.
I found it amusing. Ronaldo have such a wonderful personality. When he was younger, he would engage in activities that were similar to those of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, such as laughing and messing around.
“He would stare into the mirror telling himself he is attractive. On the other hand, there is me, who is of the polar opposite; I did not possess his physical appearance! I never stopped telling him that he was grossly unattractive. When I was playing around with him, I would say things like, “No, you’re not.” However, it would turn him off.
“The two of us would always play pranks on the manager and I would pick him up at times to take him to training or to the hotel.”
