Wayne Rooney believes the current Barcelona side will be seen as one of the greatest of all time.
United striker reckons current side will go down as greats
Wayne Rooney believes the current Barcelona side will be seen as one of the greatest of all time.
Rooney was in the Manchester United side that was outclassed by Barca in the 2009 Champions League final, and they also won a domestic double that season to become the first Spanish side to win the treble.
Barca defended their Spanish title last season while Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi were the top three for Fifa's 2010 Ballon d'Or award, with Barca's passing style having earned admirers around the globe.
Barca are the favourites for this season's Champions League, where they face Arsenal for a place in the quarter-finals, and Rooney reckons they stand between United and a fourth European crown.
"They are the team to beat," he told the
official Champions League magazine.
Memorable
"They are a fantastic team and people will remember what this Barcelona side have done for a long time to come, like the great Real Madrid and Manchester United teams.
"Their football is brilliant to watch and they win games playing that way, which is the main thing.
"Barcelona stand out for me. You can safely say if you beat Barcelona you have a good chance of winning the competition."
United take on Marseille for a place in the last eight and the Premier League leaders are particularly keen to go all the way this year with the final staged at London's Wembley Stadium.
Rooney said he wanted to leave the club in October but then signed a new five-year deal after being convinced United had enough quality coming through to make for a bright future at Old Trafford.
Contract situation
With that episode over, the England striker is beginning to regain top form, while three of United's most promising young players have also impressed in recent weeks.
"It is a relief to have the contract situation sorted and feel settled," said Rooney.
"I know I made the right decision to stay. It has been a tough time but I am looking forward to helping the team win trophies.
"Rafael has done really well this season and played a lot of games, and Nani is a match-winner," he added. "We always knew he had the ability but he is doing it more consistently this year.
"Anderson had a bad injury but has done really well and is playing some great football since coming back.
"If those three can keep progressing as they are then they are going to be big players for us and an important part of the team in future.
"That's the thing about Manchester United. Great players are always coming in."
