Messi was once again in masterful form in Qatar, as his captained his Argentina side to a 3-0 win over Croatia in Tuesday night’s semi-final.
After scoring the opener from the spot, the legendary forward twice teed up Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez to help put the South American side just one game away from a third World Cup triumph.
Argentina will face either reigning champions France or Morocco in Sunday’s final.
While many consider Messi to already be the GOAT, the World Cup remains the ultimate prize for the 35-year-old, and fans believe that if he lifts it the Messi vs Ronaldo debate will be finished once and for all.
For Rooney however, there is, nor has there ever really been a debate, with the England legend’s admiration for Messi well-known.
He reiterated his love for the ‘little magician’ during the semi-final win when he took to Twitter to retweet a message from over 10 years ago.
Back in 2012, he said: ‘Messi is a joke. For me the best ever,’ with his new post adding: ‘Nothing has changed,’ accompanied by an emoji of a goat.
By backing Messi, Rooney is of course snubbing his former strike partner Ronaldo, though it is extremely unlikely that this has anything to do with the Portugal legend’s recent comments on the now DC United manager.
During his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo said of Rooney: ‘I don’t know why he criticises me so badly… probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at a high level.’
While Ronaldo made his own bit of history in Qatar, becoming the first player ever to score at five different World Cups, it was a disappointing tournament overall.
The 37-year-old’s penalty against Ghana was his only goal of the finals and he found himself dropped for Portugal’s knockout fixtures, as his country went out at the quarter-final stage to surprise package Morocco.
‘Everyone has different views on Messi and Ronaldo but I have said many times that I think Messi is the best,’ Rooney had previously told The Times.
‘I have watched lots of videos of Diego Maradona, who was a similar player, but Messi is better.
‘He has everything, the way he controls games, his dribbling, his assists, whereas Ronaldo is more of a goalscorer.’
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