10 of the Best Quotes on Manchester United Legend Wayne Rooney Featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Manchester United and England's greatest goal-scorer Wayne Rooney has announced his retirement from football after quite a stellar career.

The Croxteth born striker is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the best forwards in the history of the Premier League.

In his prime, Rooney was unstoppable and what stood out in his incredible career was that he changed and adapted to new roles for the sake of his team which ended up limiting his goalscoring towards the end of his career.

Some of the best footballing personalities have commented great things about Wazza, including his one time strike partner and one of the greatest footballers of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo. Here's a look at 10 of the best quotes by footballing personalities on the legendary Wayne Rooney.

1. Gerrard Pique

“I have never seen a player as powerful as Rooney – the way he goes past people, the intensity of his play, the runs he makes from the first minute to the last and the shot that he has. World class.”

2. Thierry Henry

"To play well for six months or a season in football is nothing. To do so for over a decade like Rooney is extraordinary. I know what it takes, and it isn’t easy. Trust me, people talk about him outside of this country. In Spain and France, he is appreciated as a top, top player.”

3. Xavi

“Wayne Rooney is a player I have admired for a long time. He is an extraordinary player with extraordinary capabilities.”

4. Frank Lampard

“His aggression is one of his big strengths. He has no fear at all. Wayne knows he has the ability, but he has this knack of being able to go out there and not be scared of anyone no matter who he is up against.”

5. Andriy Shevchenko

“No player in modern football can match his efficiency and work-rate, and he’s not egotistical like many men of his speciality. He’s the sort of magnificent team player every coach wants in his starting XI.”

6. Andres Iniesta

"What I value most about the way United play is how hard players like Rooney work. We cannot commit any mistakes because they have so much fire-power up front."

7. David Moyes

“There was a day when we had him in training. He was only a young boy and we had to set up a small-sided game and Wayne chipped a goalkeeper from near the byeline. It was a moment when we all looked at each other and said, ‘Did he really do that? Did that happen?’.We knew it before, but when we saw that happen we all thought ‘there is a real special talent here.”

8. Gary Lineker

“Rooney is three world-class players in one and doesn’t have an identifiable weakness”

9. Lionel Messi

“There has always been a great deal of respect between myself and Wayne Rooney. For me he is the great English player of the generation. What he is capable of doing on the field is very special, and he is one of the few players that would improve any squad in Europe.”

10. Cristiano Ronaldo

"He was the kid of England, everyone loved him. He was so powerful I was calling him ‘Pitbull.’ The power of Wayne Rooney is his mentality and strength and he never stops. He’s a fantastic team player and he scores. He’s a fantastic boy and he helped me a lot when he came to join us in Manchester.”