Wayne Rooney vs. Cristiano Ronaldo: Nemanja Vidic’s Take

Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United legend, has said that Wayne Rooney ‘failed’ in comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo. Rooney and Ronaldo were both at Old Trafford together from 2004-2009, with Ronaldo joining from Sporting Lisbon a year before Rooney joined from Everton. Ronaldo was a year older than Rooney, who had made a name for himself with his performances for England at Euro 2004. It wasn’t until the 2006/7 season when Ronaldo overtook Rooney to become United’s talisman and his game went from strength to strength before he left for Real Madrid in 2009. Rooney continued to perform at the top level, becoming the top scorer for both club and country, before leaving United in 2018 and retiring three years later. Ronaldo, on the other hand, went on to win five Champions League titles after leaving United and even returned to the club after Rooney’s retirement. Despite his second stint ending badly, he was still top scorer in his first year back at the club with 26 goals at the age of 37. Vidic believes that Rooney ‘failed’ his talent by not looking after his body in the same way Ronaldo did and that if he had been closer to Ronaldo in terms of mentality, he could have achieved much more. He praised Rooney’s physical and technical abilities, as well as his work ethic on the pitch, but believes that it was Ronaldo’s mentality to work hard and improve that set him apart.