Wayne Rooney has revealed the top five defenders he faced in the Champions League during his time with Manchester United.
Rooney was a key member of the United side that won the tournament in 2008 and made a total of 88 appearances for the Red Devils in the competition.
The United and England legend was also part of the teams under Sir Alex Ferguson that suffered heartbreaking defeats to Barcelona in the 2009 and 2011 finals.
Speaking on his podcast, Rooney said the defenders he came up against in the Champions League were ‘nastier’ and ‘smarter’ than in the Premier League.
He also named the toughest defenders he came up against, ranking AC Milan’s Alessandro Nesta in fifth.
The Italian giants beat United in the semi-finals in the 2006/07 season after hammering Ferguson’s side 3-0 in the second leg following a 3-2 reverse at Old Trafford, when Rooney scored a last-minute winner to give his side a slender advantage.
Wayne Rooney has named the top five defenders he played against in the Champions League
The ex-United star picked both Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta (right) in his list
‘in the second leg – and a big reason why I picked him – he was a completely different player: no heavy breathing, no panting,’ Rooney told the BBC’s Wayne Rooney show.
‘We lost 3-0 and it was a game I felt we had made progress as team but the team they had was an incredible team and was a real lesson for us that night.’
Rooney named Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho at number four – a ‘nasty’ player who knew the ‘little tricks’, and ‘clever in the way he got me sent off in the World Cup’.
Nesta’s former AC Milan team-mate Paolo Maldini was named by Rooney as the third best defender he’d played against, and ex-United and Barcelona star Gerard Pique at No 2.
Pique was an integral part of the Barcelona teams that twice beat United in the Champions League final.
‘He was a young lad at Man Utd but he doesn’t get the respect he deserves,’ said Rooney.
Rooney’s surprise pick at No 1 was Chelsea’s John Terry, whose slip and missed penalty helped United beat the Blues in the dramatic 2008 final in Moscow.
He also came against Terry in the knock-out rounds, with United overcoming Chelsea 3-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals in 2011.
Rooney named ex-Chelsea captain John Terry as the No 1 defender he has faced in the competition
The United and England legend was a key part of the team that won the 2008 Champions League
Rooney said Terry was the toughest ‘without question’. ‘He was horrible to play against,’ he added.
‘Before every game I would go in thinking “he’s not quick, I’ll take him into channels”.
‘But when talking about leaders, he was fantastic as captain of England when I played with him. Everything was him trying to get things right for everyone around the hotel.
‘How he defended, he was strong, good in the air, never pulled out of tackles, was threat on set pieces. He was one of those defenders who when you went near him, he would just hurt you. He didn’t mean to, but he would leave something on you all the time. I don’t think people give him the credit he deserves; he was incredible with both feet.’
Two ex-Real Madrid stars – Pepe and Sergio Ramos – were shock snubs by Rooney from his top-five list, despite the duo being considered among the best defenders of their generation.
