Wayne Rooney makes brutal Cristiano Ronaldo points as ex-Man United teammate out of World Cup
Wayne Rooney has claimed Portugal players don't enjoy playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo as much as Argentina do alongside Lionel Messi
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has suggested the Portugal squad don't enjoy playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in the same manner the Argentina team do with Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo's World Cup career ended in disappointment as his Portugal side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the last 16 on Monday. Mikel Merino's 91st-minute winner was the difference at the Dallas Stadium.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner started all five of Portugal's World Cup fixtures in North America, netting three times. Ronaldo, 41, scored twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan during the group phase before converting a spot-kick in the Round of 16 victory against Croatia.
However, Ronaldo has been overshadowed by Messi, 39, who has found the net seven times in four matches, and is leading the Golden Boot race alongside France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland.
Messi is Argentina's talisman and is vital to them, but Rooney, who lined up with Ronaldo at Manchester United for six years, doesn't sense the same dynamic when it comes to the Real Madrid and Portugal icon.
Rooney, who has been working for the BBC during the World Cup, said: "You always put Ronaldo and Messi together because they are two of the best players the game has ever seen.
"But the Argentinian lads seem like they're all there for Messi. They're all behind him. Messi has obviously been fantastic at this World Cup. I don't get that vibe from the Portuguese players."
Ronaldo confirmed ahead of the match against Spain that this would mark his final World Cup. The superstar, born in 1985, has featured in six consecutive tournaments, netting 11 goals across 27 appearances.
"Let this be my last World Cup; it is my last World Cup, and I hope tomorrow won't be my last match," Ronaldo said.
He had previously declined to confirm the tournament would be his last, despite the fact he will be 45 when the next World Cup is hosted by Portugal, Spain and Morocco in 2030.
"I will finish when I choose. You always ask the same question: is this the last one? We will see. I don't want to draw attention to this, the most important thing is to play well tomorrow," he said at his pre-match press conference on Sunday. "I'm going to be perfectly honest, regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going to be 1,000% leaving with a clear conscience.
"I have given all I could to football, it's my passion to play for so many years. I didn't do it out of need, I'm doing well out of life. It's about passion. I play for the national team and I love to play football.
"Regardless of what happens tomorrow I'm not going to exert pressure on myself that I must win. You have to enjoy every match at a huge competition like the World Cup. I think I'm not doing so bad. I've scored three goals, others have done better but I think I'm doing not so bad."