Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has named Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all time.

Rooney believes Messi is ahead of Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and late football icon Diego Maradona.

The former England international said that Messi has everything as a footballer, insisting that the Argentine captain can dribble, assist and control games.

“Everyone has different views on Messi and Ronaldo, but I’ve said many times that I think Messi is the best,” Rooney told The Times.

“I have watched lots of videos of Diego Maradona, who was a similar player, but Messi is better." "He has everything—tthe way he controls games, his dribbling, his assists—wwhereas Ronaldo is more of a goalscorer.”

He continued: “It would be a great story for football if either Messi or Ronaldo won the World Cup." I’ve heard some of the Argentine players say that they want to win it for Messi. That is crazy — and might only increase the pressure on them.”