Wayne Rooney has disclosed that during his time alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, he felt more entrusted with defensive responsibilities than Ronaldo.
Rooney and Ronaldo formed a formidable partnership during their five-year tenure with the Red Devils from 2004 to 2009, clinching numerous trophies, notably three Premier League titles and the prestigious Champions League.
Rooney, as a guest on the Stick to Football podcast, has provided insights into his time alongside the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, detailing how their partnership would frequently operate at the club.
‘[He] would win you the game,’ Rooney began. ‘From a defensive point of view there was just more trust [in me].
‘Obviously, if I played out wide, I would do my job, I would get back and help out defensively where Cristiano probably wouldn’t do it, and then he’s a threat [going forward], he pins their full back, back.
‘I wanted to play in my position [as a centre forward], but that’s where the manager probably got it right in terms of the team winning and being successful, we probably needed that. I wasn’t really interested in individual awards, I always wanted to win with the team, that was always my goal.
‘I wouldn’t say I was a natural goal scorer, I just wanted to get on the ball. If I was more selfish, I potentially could have scored a lot more goals, but I just wanted to play. The number of times I had midfielders telling me to go away or, “I’ll play it through to you, you need to stay up front”.’
Rooney played under five managers during his time at United, primarily under Ferguson’s guidance. He also worked under David Moyes, Ryan Giggs, Louis van Gaal, and Jose Mourinho before leaving in 2017.
After departing, he joined Everton and later Derby County before embarking on a managerial career.
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