'A Bit of Everything': Wayne Rooney Reveals His Choice for the Best Player in the World

​Having played with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United for six years, during which the Portuguese icon won his first of five Ballon d'Or awards, Wayne Rooney gone on record to have his say on who he considers is the best player in the world. 

Many would expect, given his history with Ronaldo, that the English striker would have given this prestigious label to his former teammate. However, Rooney has opted to side with Ronaldo's bitter rival, Lionel Messi. 

Between 2009 and 2011, Rooney and the ​Red Devils played and lost to a Messi-inspired Barcelona team twice in Champions League finals, leaving Rooney with little doubt over the identity of the world's best.

"In both games if we had been against any other team but Barcelona you would have fancied us to win," the former United number ten said to the ​Mirror.

"In my eyes they are the best team ever and Messi is the best player ever. What he gets to do is incredible. Messi has just got a bit of everything.

"Ronaldo has gone from a winger to a striker and a goalscorer. Rather than taking players on all the time, he has gone more one or two touch, getting in the box and scoring goals.

"Messi is a bit of everything - you see him scoring goals from playing probably a deep midfield role at times, and where I'm probably still walking on the pitch he's scoring. So he is probably the best." 

Lionel Messi has been in untouchable form yet again this season, having scored eleven goals in as many games, despite Barcelona's ​La Liga struggles so far.

The way in which the Argentinian enigma dismantled Tottenham Hotspur in Barcelona's 4-2 victory in the Champions League last week, might have reaffirmed why Messi is the greatest player in the world in Rooney's opinion.