Wayne Rooney, the legendary scorer for Manchester United, has revealed the one player he always wanted to team up with: the “cool” and “calm” Zinedine Zidane.
During his illustrious 19-year career, the 38-year-old English football icon graced the field with some of the sport’s most renowned figures.
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He’s played with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, and Nemanja Vidic. Yet, it’s the French maestro Zidane who captured Rooney’s imagination.
Rooney, who burst onto the scene with Everton at just 16 years old in 2002, admired Zidane from his youth, particularly when Zidane triumphed in the Champions League with Real Madrid.
Widely celebrated as the premier midfielder of his time, Zidane’s skill set left a lasting impression on Rooney. Speaking on The Overlap, a program presented by Sky Bet, Rooney shared his aspirations of once calling Zidane a teammate.
“I wish I played with Zinedine Zidane, just how good he was. [Lionel] Messi is the best of all time but to play with Zidane [would be amazing],” Rooney said. “He’s cool, calm, plays with both feet, goals and assists.”
Rooney has candidly shared insights about his career, reflecting on the teammates who stood out as the best and those who were less impressive.
Speaking on the Seven: Rob Burrow podcast with England rugby legend Rob Burrow, Rooney said: “My best team-mate, I’d say Darren Fletcher.
“There were a few – John O’Shea, Wes Brown, Michael Carrick – we were all really close.
“But Fletch was probably the one We sat next to each other in the dressing room and shared really good moments on and off the pitch together.”
Fletcher, who joined Man United’s youth setup at the age of 11, went on to play over 300 matches under Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and Louis van Gaal before leaving in 2015.
But about his worst? “There are a lot more than you’d probably think,” Rooney laughed. “On the pitch, the toughest one was Nani. He was frustrating to play with.”
