Former Manchester United and Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is widely regarded as one of the best goalscorers to ever grace football, and he certainly knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
From Old Trafford to San Siro, the former Sweden international won trophies everywhere he went and left lasting memories for millions of fans, who were often in awe of the five-time Italian champion’s acrobatic skills and precise finishes.
However, with the likes of Lionel Messi and David Beckham among his most famous teammates, Ibrahimovic never lacked service in front of goal, and it is safe to say his former colleagues deserve a tiny bit of credit for his impressive career.
Ibrahimovic once noted the same about Man United and Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo and name-dropped his former Old Trafford teammate as someone who deserves praise for the Portugal international’s success in the early stages of his career.
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Ibrahimovic Heaps Praise on Wayne Rooney
‘He is the perfect partner’
Ibrahimovic, speaking in an interview several years ago, praised Wayne Rooney as someone who deserves credit for Ronaldo’s success and labelled the former England international as ‘the perfect partner’:
“Wayne Rooney for me, when he played with Cristiano, all the work was done by Wayne Rooney.
“But he didn’t get the credit that Ronaldo got, because Ronaldo was scoring all the amazing goals, a lot of goals.
“He is the perfect partner, because he is a team player, runs a lot, he fights a lot, he sacrifices a lot, he scores goals, he makes beautiful assists, he doesn’t think about himself only.
“He thinks about the team. He wants to win, he does everything to win.
“So whoever played with Rooney he has to be very happy and lucky, because, for sure, he made them much better than what they were.”
Ronaldo, who joined Man United a year before Rooney in 2003, played alongside the Englishman for five seasons at Old Trafford and enjoyed tremendous success.
The pair made 205 appearances together for the Red Devils, winning three Premier League titles, four domestic cups, and the Champions League in 2008.
Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, played with Rooney during the former England striker’s final season at Old Trafford, when they joined forces in the 2016/17 campaign following Ibrahimovic’s arrival on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
Ibrahimovic and Rooney made 25 appearances together across all competitions and shared six assists between them, with the Sweden international scoring five times.
|
Wayne Rooney’s Man United Career Stats (2004-2017) |
|
|
Games |
559 |
|
Goals |
253 |
|
Assists |
141 |
|
Yellow cards |
98 |
|
Red cards |
1 |
|
Minutes played |
44,787 |
Rooney is widely considered one of the best Man United players ever and left a lasting legacy after his return to Everton in the summer of 2017.
The 39-year-old made 559 appearances for United during his 13-year spell at Old Trafford, scoring 253 goals and providing 141 assists.
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Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 12-05-25.
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