Wayne Rooney has hit back at Virgil van Dijk after the Liverpool captain labelled his criticism as “lazy”, while also addressing his long-standing disagreement with Cristiano Ronaldo over who is the better player between Lionel Messi and the Portuguese star.
Rooney, now a pundit, had previously suggested Van Dijk’s form has dipped this season. Van Dijk responded by calling the former Manchester United striker’s analysis “lazy”. In the latest edition of The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney defended his comments, saying: “As captain, your job is to call meetings with your teammates… I’ve got full respect for him. But my job now as a pundit is to give my opinions.”
The spat comes amid a separate difference of opinion with Ronaldo, who recently told Piers Morgan: “Is Messi better than me? I disagree. I don’t want to be humble.” Rooney, who has previously stated Messi is superior, offered a more balanced view in September, saying: “I love him [Ronaldo]. I think he’s an absolute genius… I absolutely love Messi, love watching him play and that was the only reason because I think Messi had a little bit more in terms of how he played.”
Rooney emphasised he has no ill will towards Ronaldo, adding: “Cristiano is an absolute genius… I take my hat off to him. I couldn’t speak a bad word about him.” The two former Manchester United teammates remain respectful despite their differing opinions on the Messi-Ronaldo debate.
