ROONEY ON MESSI

LIONEL MESSI is the best player in the world, according to Wayne Rooney. Despite his friendship with former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo who has won the FIFA Ballon d’Or on five occasions, Rooney believes the Barcelona wizard is tops.

Rooney lost two Champions League finals to a Barca side inspired by Messi (left) and, after seeing him destroy Tottenham at Wembley last week, he said: “In both those finals if we had been against any other team but Barcelona you would have fancied us to win.

“In my eyes they are the best team ever and Messi is the best player ever. gets to do is What he incredible.

“Messi has just got a bit of everything.

“Ronaldo has gone from a winger to a striker and a goalscorer. Rather than taking players on all the time, he has gone more one-touch or two, getting in the box and scoring goals. “Messi is a bit of everything – you see him scoring goals from playing probably a deep midfield role at times, and where I’m probably still walking on the pitch he’s scoring. So he is probably the best.”