Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has now made a surprising admission about his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo's second spell at Old Trafford.
Some have suggested that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has tarnished his legacy at United following his controversial departure from the club in November 2022.
Read: Man Utd 'rejected' Ronaldo request
The Portuguese superstar left the Red Devils with seven months remaining before his deal was set to expire after he publicly slated the club during an explosive interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan that month.
During the show, Ronaldo hit out various people involved with the club, including manager Erik ten Hag, some members of the board, and his ex-colleague Rooney.
The Al Nassr talisman had seemingly taken offence to the DC United coach commenting on his struggles under Ten Hag, and suggested that the Englishman was jealous of his career.
"I don't know why he [Rooney] criticises me so badly... probably because he finished his career and I'm still playing at high level. I'm not going to say that I'm looking better than him. Which is true," Ronaldo said at the time.
Speaking to CNN just four months after those remarks, Rooney said: "I suppose he got what he wanted.
"For Manchester United, it was important to move on as quick as possible from that and really refocus on the group of players who were there and wanted to be there.
"And I think that's where Ten Hag has done a really good job in refocusing the players and getting them in a position where they are obviously comfortably in the top four and also winning the cup."
Read: Manager tears into 'selfish greedy' Ronaldo
The Englishman was then asked if Ronaldo's harsh comments in the Morgan interview would damage his legacy at the Theatre of Dreams, and his answer might surprise some.
"No, I think what he's done for Manchester United is great," he continued. "And he's won Premier League titles, won the Champions League, scored many goals.
"So I think certainly for the fans and certainly for the players, his former teammates who played with him from my time especially, we'll never forget what he did for Manchester United.
"Because, in my eyes, he'll always be a club legend and it's a shame the way it ended, of course, this time around.
"But I don't think that takes anything away from his legacy at the club."
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