Rooney backs Man Utd to punish Ronaldo

Speaking to the US newspaper CNN, Rooney said that Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could be the two greatest players of all time, and what he said about his former teammates was not criticized. "I'm just saying that time doesn't spare anyone, and Ronaldo clearly feels that and is having a hard time fighting his age," coach D.C. United said.

In an interview with Morgan, Ronaldo said that he was "more handsome than Rooney, and maybe he was jealous that I was still playing at the top". The Portuguese superstar added: "Not only Rooney, the rest of the rats will also criticize me, but it's great because I'm still number one."

When asked about Ronaldo's words, Rooney said with no emotion: "Clearly Ronaldo's interview went global. Some of his comments are quite strange. I guarantee Man Utd will deal with this, And they'll do whatever needs to be done."

Hours after Rooney's statement, United announced that they "have begun to take steps to respond to Ronaldo's recent interview". And British media such as the Guardian newspaper said that Man Utd is "preparing legal proceedings to sue Ronaldo for breach of contract" and will seek to liquidate this striker without compensation.

Ronaldo and Rooney are both 37 years old, used to be teammates at Man Utd in the period 2004-2009, considered a "match pair" in attack to help the team win the 2008 Champions League. and Ronaldo returns to Man Utd from the summer of 2021.

Ronaldo and Rooney once caused controversy in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup, when the England striker received a red card for stepping on the foot of midfielder Ricardo Carvalho. As Rooney left the field, the camera caught Ronaldo winking, as if suggesting he had an influence on the red card.