Nemanja Vidic feels Wayne Rooney 'failed' in comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo | OneFootball

Nemanja Vidic has highlighted what allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to become so great, while admitting that Wayne Rooney failed to reach a similar level in his eyes.

The Manchester United icon was speaking to his former centre-back partner Rio Ferdinand as a guest on the Vibe with Five podcast.

Vidic spent nine seasons at United, playing alongside some of the best players in the division during that era.

The likes of Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra and Ferdinand himself all formed a key part of teams that won five Premier League titles during Vidic’s time at the club.

Vidic praises Ronaldo's elite mentality

And Vidic joined Ferdinand for the Englishman’s Vibe with Five podcast, with the pair covering a whole range of topics.

That included a discussion about the best players in the league during that time. But when asked who was one player that stood out, Vidic only had one man in mind.

“I think the whole package for me is Cristiano Ronaldo,” Vidic said. “Because I remember when I came to the club, how he looked as a boy, he was skinny, he was someone who was always trying to do the skills and tricks.

“And how he developed over the years, how he trained, how he was willing to sacrifice everything to achieve his dreams. I think that’s an example for the young generations.

“You see Cristiano on Instagram, it's all flashy stuff but he deserves it. At his age, 18, 19, to 21 to have that mentality to work hard, not go out, fight for your dream, the way he did it he deserves everything he got.”

But the Serbian continued to say that Ronaldo’s teammate Rooney could have reached similar heights if he had trained as hard as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Ronaldo and Rooney spent five seasons together in Manchester, winning three league titles under Sir Alex Ferguson.

And while the latter retired as United’s record-goalscorer, Vidic believes his former teammate could have achieved even more if he had Ronaldo’s mindset.

“For me, Wayne Rooney, he failed in terms of that. He is the one I think, if he was closer in mentality as Cristiano Ronaldo he can achieve much more. Definitely, that is my feeling.

“Physically he was amazing, technically as well. He is a great teammate on the pitch, him and Carlos Tevez, as a defender you want them on the pitch, they worked hard for the team.”

Upon being asked if Rooney had more technical ability than his Portuguese teammate, Vidic said: “In one moment they are similar, the same.

“What brought Cristiano Ronaldo much higher was his mentality to change, to work hard, to improve, to have goals.

“I'm not saying Wayne didn't have a mentality, but he played pure on his talent. He didn't invest in his body, invest in extra training, the physical side.”

“Wayne was naturally a man at 14, 15 years old,” Ferdinand added. “So he didn’t have to work for it.

“Like you said, Cristiano walked through the door a skinny guy. He left with an eight-pack.”