Wayne Rooney was a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo when he arrived at Manchester United, Rio Ferdinand claims

Wayne Rooney arrived at Manchester United as a better all-round player than Cristiano Ronaldo despite signing a year after the Portuguese star, according to Rio Ferdinand.

The former Everton striker signed in a £25.6million deal in 2004, with a huge reputation and the potential to become one of the game's next global stars.

Ferdinand claims there was so much excitement when Rooney joined, although Ronaldo has since gone on to dwarf the former's achievements with United and most recently Real Madrid.