Former Manchester United star claims he was better than Neymar, Erling Haaland and Sergio Aguero

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has backed himself as having been a better player than Neymar, Erling Haaland, Sergio Aguero, and several other forwards in his pomp. The ex-England international enjoyed a storied career at club and international level, and was regarded as one of the world's best players.

The best goalscorer in the history of Manchester United, Rooney was a key part of the successful Red Devils sides of the 2000's, scoring and creating goals. The forward had joined the club after exploding onto the Premier League scene aged just 16 with Everton, and went on to become a legend of the club.

Rooney was put on the spot on the official social media of the UEFA Champions League, when he was asked to rate himself against some of the world's finest players of today. The ex-Everton man gladly did, rating himself higher than Santos star Neymar, Manchester City legend Aguero, and present City star Haaland.

The Red Devils legend also backed himself ahead of greats such as Alessandro Del Piero and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He also declared that he was better than Harry Kane, Luis Suarez, and Robert Lewandowski, all elite forwards.

Still only 39 years old, Wayne Rooney's time as a player coincided with the emergence of some of these players, as he played in the same era as all of them bar Haaland. He ended his time at Manchester United as the club's record goalscorer with 253 goals, and was England's record goalscorer between 2015 and 2023, when Kane broke his record.

When Manchester United star named Neymar as one of the greatest of his generation

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro believes compatriot Neymar is behind only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among players to have played in this generation. The Brazil international made this statement in an interview with Placar in 2023, pointing out that the Santos man deserves a place at the top.

"I had the pleasure of seeing Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, who are the three best players of my generation. Lionel Messi has left his mark. You can't deny it, he was always a rival, with Barcelona and Argentina. There was no way to escape them. I've seen Ronaldo (Nazario), I've seen Zinedine Zidane, but without a doubt, these three are the best of this generation."

From his days as a boy wonder at Santos to becoming one of the world's finest players at Barcelona and PSG, Neymar has enjoyed a storied career. The 33-year-old is currently on the books of boyhood club Santos after securing a return in January.

Neymar is Brazil's all-time top goalscorer (79), having beaten the record previously held by Pele in 2023. He has been named in his country's squad for an international game for the first time since 2023, having suffered a series of devastating injuries.