Wayne Rooney: Man Utd legend receiving praise from Ronaldo, Gerrard and others

Wayne Rooney really was a special player.

You could even argue that, in his pomp, the Manchester United legend was the best striker on the planet.

He took the world by storm as he burst onto the Premier League scene at the age of just 16 before tearing up Euro 2004 in the colours of England.

After swapping Everton for Old Trafford, Rooney embarked on a truly astonishing career as he plundered goals for fun, winning more silverware than anyone would know what to do with.

In the famous United red, Rooney would play 559 games, scoring a staggering 253 goals and supplementing that tally with 146 assists.

In short, Rooney was a once-in-generation sort of player.

But where exactly does he rank among the pantheon of greats?

Well, if you were to ask some of the legendary figures that he played both with and against, you’d be inclined to say that he is right up there with the best of them.

In the video, which you can watch below, the likes of Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and several others sing Rooney’s praises at the top of their lungs.

Check out the footage below:

Brilliant – the man really made an impact on all he played with and against. His never-say-die attitude and fierce doggedness made Rooney a joy to play with.

Sure, his temper got the better of him sometimes, but it was that unrelenting passion that made him the much-beloved star that he was.

Since retiring, Rooney has only gone onto to prove his class even further while at the helm of a crumbling Derby County.

With the club seemingly falling apart around him, Rooney miraculously gave them hope of avoiding relegation, even in the face of a massive points reduction.

Ultimately, the Rams suffered the drop, but the