Talking about the deadliest duet in the world, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo once graced the ranks of top players when they were still in uniform at Manchester United. Coming to Old Trafford with a magical teenage status, Ronaldo was immediately put on a trade to become United’s future star.
A year later, Manchester United returned a talented teenager from England, Wayne Rooney. With a dowry worth 25 million euros, Rooney is officially wears uniform in red demons. Sir Alex Ferguson, United’s manager at the time, said that “there were many eyebrows raised” when he persuaded the club’s board of directors to bring Rooney from Everton. However, Sir Alex’s trust in Rooney paid off. The teenager appeared so brilliant and was on the list of future red devil players.
Coming up as two promising teenagers, what really made Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo become goal-hungry predators?
Rooney and Ronaldo prepared Sir Alex Ferguson to continue the stick of success for Manchester United. Both were brought in to replace the role of senior players namely David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
However, it was not easy for the two young players to replace the position of their seniors. They even often get involved in conflicts on their way to continue the era of United’s glory. One of the most remembered is when Rooney and Ronaldo were involved in a dispute at the 2006 World Cup.
At that time, Wayne Rooney was given a red card by the referee in the match against Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo then became an enemy of the British public because he was thought to have helped provoke the referee.
Had rumored to leave United, Ronaldo actually survive and even more compact with Rooney. That is the first proof that good relations between the two are the key to success on the field.
In addition to the conflict that was quite shocking, Rooney and Ronaldo also often received scathing criticism from Sir Alex Ferguson. CR7 is considered a selfish player. He prefers to force himself to pass opponents even though he is not provided with good dribbles. What’s worse, he is known as a player who likes diving.
“The first season, CR7 was a lot of players. He easily falls, the balance and speed are very bad. In the beginning he was a player who was more concerned with style than the team’s collectivity. He is just a player who likes to show off, “said Fergie.
After Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney also did not escape the sharp criticism of the manager. If CR7 is labeled a selfish player, Rooney often has problems with his high temperament.
“Rooney is a player who was able to test the patience of everyone at the training ground. I often criticize him for the attitude he had. After I criticized, he would definitely go berserk in the locker room, “
“But what I like about Rooney is, the next day he will apologize and say, ‘Will I play next week, boss?’ I can only answer ‘do not know’.” Said Fergie.
The sharp criticisms launched by Sir Alex Ferguson succeeded in making the two players far more developed. They improve their performance a lot and slowly reduce the things that Fergie doesn’t like.
After the two attitudes began to be overcome, Rooney and Ronaldo received other sharp criticism. This time is about the stability of the two players in scoring goals. In the 2005/06 season, Rooney and Ronaldo often scored goals, but when they had to face a team that had been ensured of relegation, they were even sluggish and unable to score.
One such criticism returned to being a serious lash for Rooney and Ronaldo. In the following season, the two players increasingly proved themselves to be the best duet pair. In the 2006/07 season, both of them scored 23 goals and became the club’s top scorers. They also transformed into one of the deadliest duets in the world.
The end of the story of both happened when Ronaldo decided to leave for Real Madrid in 2009. Rooney stayed and stood upright under the banner of the red devil. While Ronaldo, carved a new story with the team from the city of Madrid before finally deciding to move to Juventus.
With United, Rooney left after about 12 years. He also managed to record a club top scorer with a score of 250 goals, surpassing Bobby Charlton’s record. For Ronaldo, he will always be remembered as the number 7 player who has become the world’s best player.
Hard work and patience really made Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo a legend of Manchester United.
