“On pure ability, it’s Ronaldo but then him as well” - Wayne Rooney says ex-Manchester United midfielder was nearly as good as Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has claimed that former Red Devils midfielder Paul Scholes was nearly as gifted as Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Rooney shared the pitch with both players at Old Trafford and claimed they deserved to be in the same conversation in terms of his best teammate ever.

The former English forward made the claim in conversation with former United full-back and compatriot Gary Neville on The Overlap podcast. In a round of quickfire questions, Rooney was asked:

"The best player you have ever played with?"

The 38-year-old replied:

"I’d probably say on pure ability, it’s Ronaldo but then Scholesy as well, what Scholes brought to the team, but on ability, it’s Ronaldo."

Rooney played 229 games for United alongside Scholes, with the former assisting the latter twice and the latter returning the favor twice. They also played 13 games together for the English national team. Alongside Ronaldo, Rooney made 205 appearances, assisting the Portuguese superstar 11 times and scoring from his passes on 14 occasions.

Rooney is not the first player to put Ronaldo and Scholes on a similar tier in terms of United's most talented players of the 2000s.

In 2019, Former Manchester United and USMNT centreback Jonathan Spector claimed that Scholes was even better than Ronaldo in terms of pure ability. He had said (via GOAL):

"It would be easy to say the best was Cristiano Ronaldo but, to be honest, I’d have to say Paul Scholes. He was always a step ahead of me but it felt like he was a step ahead of everyone else on the pitch."

How did Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo fare during their Manchester United tenures?

Paul Scholes worked his way up through the youth academy at Manchester United and spent his entire 20-year senior career with the club. He made a staggering 716 appearances for the Red Devils, notching up 155 goals and 81 assists in the process.

The midfielder lifted 11 Premier League titles, the second most in the history of the competition behind fellow United legend Ryan Giggs (13 titles). His trophy cabinet also includes two Champions League titles, four FA Cups, five English Super Cups, two EFL Cups and a FIFA Club World Cup title.

On the other hand, legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson brought an 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo over to Old Trafford from boyhood club Sporting CP for €19 million in 2003. At United, the Portuguese sharpshooter evolved into one of the best players of his generation under Ferguson's watchful guidance.

Ronaldo made 346 appearances for the Red Devils, bagging 145 goals and 64 assists. In 2007-08, he delivered a sublime individual season with a whopping 42 goals and eight assists in 49 games.

These incredible numbers made him the first Manchester United player to win the Ballon d'Or (2008) in forty years (following George Best's victory in 1968).

The Portuguese forward lifted three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two EFL Cups, an English Super Cup, a Champions League title and a FIFA Club World Cup title with the Red Devils.