Cristiano Ronaldo is 'f**king annoying' says former Manchester United teammate

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney attended an exclusive event in Manchester over the weekend, and could not help but talk about his old friend Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently playing in his second spell with the club. The pair spent a good chunk of their careers at Old Trafford, and Rooney had some interesting recollections about that time.

"Cristiano [Ronaldo] was so good and so f***ing annoying at the same time," he said, as quoted by Marca. Of course, his comments were clearly made with a lot of playful affection towards his former teammate. "He is probably not as good now, but he is probably just as annoying," he joked.

Furthermore, Rooney also spoke about the times when he had to face Ronaldo from opposite sides of the pitch whenever they played for their respective national teams. In particular, the Englishman recalled the 2006 FIFA World Cup where England faced Portugal in the quarter-finals.

Both players fought intensely on the pitch, and tried to get each other sent off. "He likes diving," said Rooney, before adding that the battle remained on the pitch. "I had no issue with Cristiano whatsoever. I spoke to him in the tunnel. I said, 'I have no issue with you getting me sent off', because I'd spent the first half trying to get him booked for diving."

Just like many other club teammates, Rooney says that he and the Portuguese star are able to keep things professional on the pitch while also being friends outside of it. "When we are playing I do not give a f*** about him. He is not my mate, But when we have finished, we are mates again," he shared.

Rooney also recalled his close relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson, who is also known to be the man who molded Ronaldo into the superstar that he is now. Rooney admitted that it took him a while to warm up to Sir Alex because he wanted to play for Everton, but the manager was eventually able to convince him to join the Red Devils.

Now, Rooney works as the manager of EFL Championship club Derby County, while Ronaldo is back at United after successful stints with Real Madrid and Juventus.