Football star Wayne Rooney has described his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo as “f***ing annoying”.
Rooney played alongside the Portuguese legend at Old Trafford between 2004 and 2009, winning three Premier League titles and a Champions League together.
But the pair didn’t always see eye-to-eye and were involved in a high-profile altercation in a quarter-final match between Portugal and England during the 2006 World Cup - an incident which saw Rooney sent off following a tackle on Ronaldo.
Speaking about his relationship with one of the best players of the 20th century, Rooney said: “Cristiano was so good and so f***ing annoying at the same time. He is probably not as good now but he is probably just as annoying.”
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo
Isaac Parkin/Martin Rickett
Rooney also had his say on Rio Ferdinand
Mike Egerton
Speaking about the World Cup incident, the current Derby County manager jokingly said: “he likes diving."
He added: “I had no issue with Cristiano whatsoever. I spoke to him in the tunnel. I said, ‘I have no issue with you getting me sent off’, because I’d spent the first half trying to get him booked for diving.
“I am English, he is Portuguese. When we are playing I do not give a f*** about him. He is not my mate. But when we have finished, we are mates again.”
Rooney also called his ex-United and England teammate Rio Ferdinand “arrogant".
He told fans at the Mecure Hotel, as reported by The Sun: “Rio is a top player, but he is just arrogant.
“You get paid a lot of money at Man United to kick the ball into the net, so just do it. I said: ‘Do your job, and give me the ball, give Ronaldo the ball. Stop standing there messing about.’ Rio is a top lad but he sometimes did forget he was a defender.”