Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and more: Michael Carrick builds his ultimate Manchester United 5-a-side team

Manchester United hero Michael Carrick included Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and English icon Wayne Rooney in his all-time five-a-side Red Devils team.

Although he graduated from West Ham's academy and spent a few years at Tottenham Hotspur, Carrick enjoyed his most successful years with United. He made 464 appearances for the club between 2006 and 2018, winning five Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League trophy, among several others.

Speaking to his former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand on the Rio Meets podcast, Carrick picked the host as the defensive anchor of his five-a-side team. Ferdinand made 455 appearances for United between 2002 and 2014, forming a formidable centre-back partnership alongside Serbian icon Nemanja Vidic.

Up next, Carrick picked legendary and famed one-club men Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in midfield. Scholes dominated the opposition midfield with his incredible passing, powerful long shots, and footballing IQ. He racked up 155 goals and 82 assists in 716 appearances for United across all competitions between 1994 and 2013.

On the other hand, the Welsh winger is the player with the most appearances (963) and assists (268) in the Red Devils' history. He played for the club in 25 separate top-flight campaigns between 1990 and 2014.

Carrick picked Ronaldo and Rooney to lead the line for his team. A global phenomenon, the Portuguese superstar is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest, players in the history of football. He bagged 145 goals and 64 assists in 348 appearances in two stints for the club, winning the 2008 Ballon d'Or under Sir Alex Ferguson's tutelage.

Rooney is also regarded as one of the best forwards ever. He is the all-time top scorer for Manchester United, with 253 goals (and 141 assists) in 559 appearances.

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"There's no way" - Manchester United icon Michael Carrick opens up on experience of coaching Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick revealed how he approached the prospect of coaching Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Carrick took over as an interim coach at Old Trafford when Ronaldo returned for his second spell at the club (2021-2022). Being one of the only players to have played with and coached the Portuguese, Rio Ferdinand asked him how he managed the situation on his Rio Meets podcast.

The 43-year-old said (via Planet Football):

"There was a hell of a buzz around the place when he came back.. Just seeing him back around the building was weird... I was really conscious of then treating him very different to when I would treat some of the younger players or the ones that are really intense, trying to help a lot and trying to develop them."

"He's at the end where he is what he is, you know, and you respect what he is. And we give a few kinds of pointers for the team. You're not going to coach him. There's no way I'm coaching him about his runs or where to finish. But it's a totally different element of coaching to say what I was coaching with some of the other boys, where you're trying to really give them some help and advice and improve them a lot. It's just incredible what he's done," Carrick added.

Ronaldo's second spell at Manchester United yielded 27 goals and five assists in 54 appearances. However, following a public spat with then-coach Erik ten Hag, his contract was terminated in November 2022, and he joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.