#3 Paul Scholes
Some of the best players in the modern game, namely Zinedine Zidane, Xavi and Xabi Alonso considered Paul Scholes the best midfielder of their generation. Paul Scholes was a genius in midfield whose technical proficiency is underrated and that has a lot to do with how there were several players to share the spotlight with at Manchester United.
Scholes is one of the most successful footballers of his generation. In a career where he only played for Manchester United, Paul Scholes also got to link up with Cristiano Ronaldo. Attackers relish having midfielders who rightly judge their movements and can pick them out from anywhere on the pitch.
Paul Scholes used to provide Cristiano Ronaldo with service of the highest order. The duo worked in tandem to squeeze out positive results in hard-fought matches and it is that ability that really ended up setting Manchester United apart from the rest.
#2 Ryan Giggs
Cristiano Ronaldo has had the chance to play with two of the finest wingers in the history of the game and Ryan Giggs is one of them. Ryan Giggs had been tearing it up for Manchester United for around 11 years when Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at the club.
Giggs' longevity was quite something. He kept his standards up throughout his career and won the PFA Player of the Year Award in 2009 playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Giggs was 34 at the time.
Giggs has played 204 games together and the duo combined to score 23 goals during that time. Both players will go down in history as two of the best to have played for Manchester United and on their day, there was absolutely no stopping them.
#1 Wayne Rooney
When there's a discussion about the most deadly striking duos in the modern era, the Cristiano Ronaldo-Wayne Rooney partnership cannot be discarded. Things could have taken an extremely different turn though.
In the 2006 World Cup quarter-final, Cristiano Ronaldo played a hand in Wayne Rooney getting sent off and everyone expected that the duo was set to fall out. But Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo had no problems burying the hatchet simply because they had so much to win.
Rooney does not get the credit he deserves as one of the Premier League greats. One of the best natural strikers that the game has seen in recent times, what made Rooney special was his versatility and readiness to play the supporting role.
Rooney was happy to let the prolific Cristiano Ronaldo have more opportunities in front of goal. The duo absolutely bossed it in the Premier League and in Europe till Ronaldo left.
When Carlos Tevez joined them for a short stint, Ronaldo and Rooney combined with him to form the most prolific attacking trios in the history of the Premier League.
There are entire collections of swift Manchester United counter-attacks spearheaded by Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and it goes to show that they formed a timeless pair we just couldn't get enough of.
After leaving Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo once said,
"I miss playing with Rooney. Maybe we will play together again one day."