'It used to wind him up!' - Wayne Rooney reveals how he managed to rile 'beautiful' Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd

Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Sporting CP in 2003, and Wayne Rooney arrived from Everton a year later. Both players quickly proved their immense talents, with Ronaldo winning a Ballon d’Or during his six years at United and Rooney becoming the club’s record goalscorer. Their partnership on the pitch was nothing short of phenomenal, with the duo combining to dominate opponents and lead United to numerous victories.

Reflecting on their time together, Rooney shared some amusing anecdotes during an appearance on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "We had a really good relationship, but we were the complete opposites. It was funny. Ronaldo was such a good character. Some of the stuff he used to do, with laughing and messing around, was similar to Zlatan Ibrahimovic."

One of Ronaldo’s quirks involved constantly admiring himself in the mirror. "He would look into the mirror telling himself he is beautiful," Rooney said, contrasting this with his own self-deprecating humour. "Then there is me, who is the complete opposite - I did not have his looks! I was always telling him he was ugly. I used to say, 'no you’re not' - messing around - but it used to wind him up."

Ronaldo and Rooney's camaraderie extended beyond the locker room. were known for playing pranks on their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, and other more serious teammates. Rooney fondly remembered these times and added: "The two of us would always play pranks on the manager and I would pick him up at times to take him to training or to the hotel."

On the pitch, their synergy was undeniable. The two featured together in 205 matches, with Ronaldo assisting Rooney with 14 goals and Rooney setting up Ronaldo 11 times. Their combined skills and understanding made them one of the most formidable duos in football during their era at Old Trafford until their paths diverged when Ronaldo left Manchester United for Real Madrid in 2009.

Ronaldo and Rooney's dynamics changed over the years, and tensions began to surface when the Portuguese returned to United for a second stint. Rooney, by then retired from professional football, publicly criticized Ronaldo’s behaviour and labelled his actions as an “unwelcome distraction” to the team when the forward allegedly refused to come onto the pitch while the team was losing against Tottenham in October 2022.

While Rooney has shifted to a managerial role after hanging up his boots, Ronaldo is still going strong in his professional career. He scored a brace against Ireland a couple of days back and looks geared up to lead Portugal against Croatia in their campaign opener on June 18.