Will start Lionel Messi, bench Harry Kane and drop Cristiano Ronaldo: Wayne Rooney ahead of FIFA World Cup
Rooney said he will drop Ronaldo and start Messi.
Former England captain Wayne Rooney said he wi start Lionel Messi, drop Cristiano Ronaldo and bench England striker Harry Kane if given a choice between starting, benching, and dropping one between the trio. Rooney is part of the Indian channel Sports18's elite panel for the FIFA World Cup coverage.
The Manchester United legend was recently mocked and targeted by his former United teammate Ronaldo in an explosive interview with controversial English journalist Piers Morgan. Responding to Rooney's criticism of him earlier this season, Ronaldo accused the Manchester United great of being jealous of him.
Rooney had criticised Ronaldo over his behavior after the Portuguese forward refused to come on as a substitute and left the stadium early during United's Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspurs. Ronaldo came up with a rather disrespectful response for his former teammate when asked about him during the interview.
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"I don’t know why he criticises me so badly… probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at a high level," Ronaldo said in his interview.
“I’m not going to say that I’m looking better than him. Which is true," he went on.
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However, Rooney had come up with a classy response when recently asked about Ronaldo's comments. The former England striker said he still considers Ronaldo and Messi the two greatest footballers of al time despite the bitter comments from his former teammate.
However, when it came to picking his favourites between Ronaldo, Messi and Kane, Rooney snubbed the Portuguese to keep the other two in his team.
All three Ronaldo, Messi, and Kane will be hoping to inspire their respective teams to gloryin the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022. Ronaldo's Portugal will open their campaign against Ghana on Thursday while Argentina will face Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. England will be up against Iran in their opening game on Monday.