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England's all-time top-scorer Wayne Rooney has referred to former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand as a "top player" but "just arrogant." As per the 36-year-old, Ferdinand sometimes used to stay on the ball for a long time rather than passing it to any of his attacking teammates.
Rooney and Ferdinand played together for the Red Devils between 2002 and 2014 before the latter departed the club to join Queens Park Rangers. They won numerous titles together while being part of one of the greatest club dynasties of all-time.
However, in a recent interview with The Sun, Rooney slated Ferdinand to be arrogant, occasionally forgetting that he was a defender. He said:
“Rio is a top player, but he is just arrogant. You get paid a lot of money at Man United to kick the ball into the net, so just do it. I said: ‘Do your job, and give me the ball, give Ronaldo the ball. Stop standing there messing about.’ Rio is a top lad but he sometimes did forget he was a defender.”
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The duo won five Premier League titles, three EFL Cups, four Community Shields, one Champions League title and one FIFA Club World Cup while playing together for the Red Devils.
Rooney is the current head coach of Championship side Derby County and is helping them stay afloat in the tier for another season. Meanwhile, Ferdinand is currently a television pundit for BT Sport.
How did ex-Manchester United players Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney's careers pan out?
Ferdinand is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs of the Premier League era. He formed an incredible partnership with Nemanja Vidic to lead Manchester United to several titles under Sir Alex Ferguson.
At the same time, Rooney worked extremely well in tandem with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez in the Red Devils' attack.
Both Ferdinand and Rooney enjoyed prolific careers before hanging up their boots. The former has made 455 appearances across competitions for Manchester United, scoring eight goals. Ferdinand won six league titles, three Carabao Cups, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
The 43-year-old left Old Trafford in 2014 before retiring a year later. He also won 81 caps for England.
Meanwhile, Rooney is the all-time top scorer for both Manchester United and the Three Lions. He has scored 253 times in 559 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils while also laying out 146 assists. Although Rooney won one Premier League title lesser than Ferdinand, he added the UEFA Europa League and the FA Cup to his stunning CV.
The 36-year-old Derby County boss also scored 53 goals in 120 caps for England.
