Zlatan Ibrahimovic Credits Wayne Rooney for Cristiano Ronaldo's Success

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Credits Wayne Rooney for Cristiano Ronaldo's Career Growth

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has expressed the view that Cristiano Ronaldo owes much of his career success to one outstanding Englishman and Manchester United legend, Wayne Rooney.

The Rise of Cristiano Ronaldo

Although Ronaldo began his professional journey at Sporting Lisbon, he truly made his mark after joining Manchester United. At Old Trafford, the dynamic winger dazzled fans, securing three Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy before moving on to Real Madrid. During his time in Spain, Ronaldo set a club record with 450 goals in 438 appearances and added four more Champions League titles and two La Liga crowns. Even at 41, he continued to impress by scoring over 100 goals for Juventus and Al-Nassr. On the international stage, he holds the record for Portugal’s all-time top scorer with 146 goals in 234 matches.

Ibrahimovic’s View on Rooney’s Impact

Back in 2015, Ibrahimovic insisted that Ronaldo's standout career might not have reached such heights without Rooney's contribution. The Swedish striker pointed out how Rooney took on the hard work at Manchester United while Ronaldo reaped the rewards:

"When Cristiano Ronaldo played at United, Rooney did all the work but Cristiano took all the glory. He was the one who was getting the goals. Rooney ran, fought and made far more of a team sacrifice than the player from Madeira."

He followed up by praising Rooney’s rare consistency: "Great players have exceptional phases that last from between one to three years, it’s not normal that this phase lasts five years as in the case with Rooney." Ibrahimovic admitted that if he couldn’t play alongside Rooney, he would just watch him on television.

Ibrahimovic’s Time at Manchester United and Rooney’s Departure

Zlatan joined Manchester United later, winning the League Cup and Europa League in the 2016/17 season while playing alongside Rooney. Over 53 games, he scored 29 goals and provided 10 assists. His admiration for Rooney was clear, calling him "a fantastic footballer" who worked tirelessly to help teammates score, showing a strong winning mentality similar to Ibrahimovic’s own.

"As a player, there are no words to not say about him - he's the perfect player. Everybody knows what he can do, what he did, what he has done."

Ironically, Ibrahimovic’s arrival coincided with Rooney’s exit from United. Rooney later explained that the hardest part was realizing he was no longer at his peak, saying, "I did it when Zlatan Ibrahimovic came in and I wasn't playing. I wanted to play so I left straight away. I accepted it." Rooney departed in 2017 after scoring 253 goals, being the only player in Premier League history to have both 200 goals and 100 assists.