Man Utd ace Wayne Rooney admits he was left in awe by Barcelona's demolition of Real Madrid last year.
United star applauded Barca's 'unbelievable' thrashing of Real
Manchester United ace Wayne Rooney admits he was left in awe by Barcelona's demolition of Real Madrid earlier this season.
Striker Rooney will go up against the Catalan giants with United in the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday night knowing what they are capable of after watching their progress this season.
The 25-year-old is aware of what it feels like to be on the end of a Barca defeat having lost the final of the same tournament to Pep Guardiola's side in Rome in 2009.
But Rooney insists that loss was nothing compared to their 5-0 thrashing of fierce rivals Real in November last year.
Applauded
He said: "I was watching in my living room and I actually stood up and applauded what I was seeing.
"(My wife) Coleen walked in and asked what I was doing! But it was the best performance I've ever seen. It was unbelievable.
"I don't think it was quite that bad when we lost 2-0 to Barcelona in the Champions League final two years ago in Rome.
"But if you looked at the faces of the Real players that night, they were shell-shocked and didn't know what to do.
"Sometimes you say nothing because, after games you have lost convincingly, you don't want to speak to anyone.
"The way Barca played, it was so difficult for Real's attacking players to get the ball or any possession."
Wary
Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes is equally wary of the threat Rooney will pose during Saturday's showdown.
The 29-year-old played in the 2009 final when Barca emerged 2-0 victors, but he feels the England international has come on leaps and bounds since then.
And he rates him as even more dangerous than former United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, telling
The Sun: "Rooney commands respect. He is one of the best strikers in the world.
"His position has changed and I think he is now more dangerous than when Cristiano played."
