Wayne Rooney, former Manchester United player has predicted the result of the upcoming UEFA Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The ex-England striker believed that Manchester City would knock out Real Madrid in the coming semi-final tie in the Spanish capital.
The English Premier League champions will lock horns with the La Liga opponents in the first leg of the knockout stage at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday, 9th of May.
Ahead of the game, Wayne Rooney reflected on his belief in Man City’s prowess, saying that the Premier League champions are playing in a different class.
Wayne Rooney said; “Manchester City will just beat Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final, they’ll blow them away”.
He added “Of course, I may be wrong. There is no side better at disproving arguments against them (Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid) in the Champions League. But I just think City are so good that they’re on another level”.
Rooney went on to laud Pep Guardiola’s abilities as a coach and the team’s stellar play this season.
Manchester City lost to Real Madrid in the same round of the competition last year, but Wayne Rooney thinks City has turned the tables because they are better defensively and have more patience in the attacking third.
Although he gave credit to Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola for their impressive resumes, Rooney still predicted that Manchester City would win the Champions League this season.
However, the presence of Erling Haaland is the key difference between Manchester City and Real Madrid from their previous meeting a year ago in the Champions League semi-finals.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid’s last meeting in brief;
Last year, with a 5-3 aggregate lead in stoppage time at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Man City appeared to be on their way to a second consecutive final.
Rodrigo scored twice in two minutes as Real Madrid ultimately won the match and the European Cup with a penalty kick from Karim Benzema in extra time.
Man City’s defense fell apart late, but that wasn’t the whole story. Without a reliable goal scorer, City paid the price for missing several scoring opportunities in both halves.
Man City took revenge on Real Madrid by signing Erling Haaland;
Man City beat out Madrid to sign Haaland the following summer transfer window. Haaland is arguably the best goal-scorer in the world at the moment.
In his first season in England, the Norwegian has more than lived up to the expectations, scoring 51 goals across all competitions.
City manager Pep Guardiola said of Haaland after he scored 35 goals in the Premier League this season. “With Erling, we knew he scored everywhere”.
What’s next for Manchester City?
City are almost certain to become the second team in Premier League history (after Manchester United in 1998/99) to win the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup in the same season.
If they win their remaining four Premier League games, they will win the league for the third year in a row.
On the other hand, Man United will have a chance to prevent a treble sweep on June 3 in the FA Cup final.
Guardiola’s squad still has to face Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League, with AC Milan or Inter Milan waiting for the winners.
Under the bright lights of the Bernabeu on a Champions League night, Madrid’s reputation remains untarnished, while Guardiola has yet to lead City to European glory in his seven years as manager.
However, City are the most in form team across Europe. The Premier League’s top team is undefeated in 20 games across all competitions and will enjoy playing at the Etihad Stadium, where they are perfect this season.
Who’s Wayne Rooney?
Wayne Rooney is an English professional football manager and former player who plays, he is the current manager of the Major League Soccer team, DC United in the United States.
Wayne Rooney age;
Rooney was born on the 24th of October, 1985 in Liverpool, England.
Wayne Rooney’s club career;
Rooney joined the Everton youth team At the age of nine, and in 2002, at the age of sixteen, he made his professional debut for the club.
After two seasons with the Merseyside club, he moved to Manchester United for £25.6 million during the summer transfer window of 2004.
While at United, he won 16 trophies and became the only English player to win the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and FIFA Club World Cup, along with teammate Michael Carrick.
He is United’s all-time leading scorer with 253 goals, his 183 Premier League goals for United rank third all-time behind only Harry Kane (currently 188 goals for Tottenham Hotspur) and Sergio Agüero (184 goals for Manchester City) for any single club in the Premier League.
Rooney has scored 208 goals in the Premier League, putting him in third place all-time. With 103 assists, he ranks third all-time in the Premier League.
Wayne Rooney International career;
Rooney scored for England as the youngest do so at the age of 17 in his senior international debut in February 2003.
At the 2004 UEFA European Championship, he played and scored four goals, making him the youngest player to ever do so at the tournament.
Rooney went on to represent England at subsequent World Cups in 2006, 2010, and 2014 and was widely considered his team’s top player each time.
In 2008, 2009, 2014, and 2015, he was named England’s best player. Rooney has earned 120 caps for England and has scored 53 goals, making him the country’s second-highest goalscorer.
Wayne Rooney honors;
Rooney has been named Premier League Player of the Month five times in his career and was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year for the 2009–10 season.
He was selected to the 2011 FIFA FIFPro World XI and finished fifth in the voting for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or.
Three times he was voted the BBC’s Match of the Day’s Goal of the Season, and his bicycle kick against Manchester City in February 2011 was named the best goal in Premier League history at the league’s 20th-anniversary ceremony.
