Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has echoed Eden Hazard’s sentiments, asserting that Cristiano Ronaldo is focused primarily on scoring goals, while Lionel Messi exhibits a more versatile style, aiming to create goal-scoring opportunities for his team.
Rooney’s comments come in the wake of Hazard’s recent assertion that he considers himself a better “pure footballer” than Ronaldo.
The Al-Nassr forward’s remarks sparked a debate in the footballing world about the contrasting styles of the two global icons.
Speaking in a chat with YouTubers Lyes Bouzidi and CultureCams, Rooney elaborated on Hazard’s statement, drawing comparisons between Ronaldo and Messi’s playing philosophies.
“So for instance, Cristiano Ronaldo, his mindset is goals. He doesn’t care about anything else, it’s goals, that’s all he wants. Whereas you look at Messi, he wants to play a bit more,” Rooney explained.
The former England international, known for his astute footballing insights, concurred with Hazard’s assessment, highlighting the difference in approach between Ronaldo and Messi.
“I suppose that’s what Hazard is saying, he liked to play – exactly like myself,” Rooney added