Wayne Rooney, the Manchester United and England legend, has found himself at the center of two contrasting football narratives. On one hand, he is locked in a heated exchange with Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk over criticisms of the Dutch defender's leadership. On the other, Rooney has delivered unequivocal praise for his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, distancing himself from any perceived negativity toward the Al-Nassr forward.
The war of words with Van Dijk began when Rooney, speaking on his BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show, questioned the Liverpool captain's and Mohamed Salah's influence during the Reds' slump. Liverpool had endured six defeats in seven games across all competitions from late September to late October 2025, including losses to Manchester United and Crystal Palace. "Van Dijk and Salah, obviously they’ve signed new deals and whatever, but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season," Rooney said. "I think body language tells you a lot and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them."
Van Dijk fired back after Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on November 1, 2025, which ended their four-game Premier League losing streak. Labeling Rooney's take as "lazy criticism," the defender said: "I would say it is a bit of a lazy criticism... I respect Wayne as a footballer, but it's a funny thing given the success we've had before." Van Dijk emphasized leading by example and sticking together amid external noise, adding that some critiques do affect his teammates but they remain focused on improvement.
Rooney responded swiftly on his podcast, maintaining respect for Van Dijk while standing by his analysis. "I have the utmost respect for Virgil. He's been incredible for Liverpool, but this season he hasn't been at his usual standards," Rooney stated. "If he's honest with himself, he'll know that. I'm not saying he's a bad player—far from it—but leadership has been lacking."
In stark contrast, Rooney's comments on Ronaldo were effusive. Addressing perceptions that he "hates" the five-time Ballon d'Or winner—stemming partly from Rooney's past admission that Lionel Messi edges Ronaldo as the greatest—Rooney clarified his admiration. "People think I hate him [Ronaldo]. I love Cristiano and playing with him. I don't think people realise actually how close me and him were," he said. "Cristiano is an absolute genius on what he's doing. He's just turned 40. What he's doing is incredible and I take my hat off to him. I couldn’t speak a bad word about him."
This praise comes amid Ronaldo's ongoing success in Saudi Arabia, where he continues to score prolifically, and follows a recent interview where Ronaldo critiqued Manchester United's structure under new manager Ruben Amorim. Rooney's words also subtly reference a potential flashpoint: Ronaldo's recent comments in a Piers Morgan interview, where he dismissed comparisons
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