Wayne Rooney has downplayed comments made by his former Manchester United teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, who had accused the former England striker of jealousy following his claims that CR7's return to the Red Devils hasn't been as successful as it should have been.
"I'd say there's probably not a footballer on the planet who isn't jealous of Cristiano," Rooney said during a press conference on Thursday.
"The career he's had, the trophies he's won, the money he's earned… his six pack! Every player bar Lionel Messi is jealous of Cristiano," he added.
Earlier this week, Rooney suggested that Ronaldo's arrival at Carrington hasn't gone down well because he's no longer the same player he was a decade ago and United needed fresher legs to lift the spirits in the camp.
Rooney's comments came in the backdrop of United's ongoing struggles on the pitch, having been ousted from the Champions League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, which was eventually won by Liverpool last month.
Moreover, they are also out of contention in the Premier League, currently lying in the seventh place in the table, three points adrift of fourth placed Tottenham, who have 54 points after 30 games. Ralf Rangnick's men, on the other hand, are on 51.
Not the one to remain quiet, Ronaldo immediately hit back at Rooney, accusing the Englishman of being "jealous" of him as he made a comment on his Instagram post.
Rooney, however, isn't the first footballer to say that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's powers are on the wane, with ex-Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher taking multiple digs at him.
Despite being slammed from right, left and centre, Ronaldo has been United's top scorer, having scored 18 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions for the English giants.