Wayne Rooney does not believe that Portugal's stars enjoy playing with Cristiano Ronaldo in the same way that the Argentinians enjoy playing with Lionel Messi.
Following the Portugal-Spain match, Rooney told the BBC: "There's always a comparison between Ronaldo and Messi because they are two of the best players football has ever known, but it seems the Argentina players are strongly behind Messi. They are all behind him."
He added: "I don't sense that same enthusiasm among the Portuguese players," which sparked considerable controversy.
Rooney even admitted that age was starting to affect his former teammate, saying: "The veteran striker was substituted in the 81st minute of the round of 32 against Croatia, before Gonzalo Ramos, who started the match on the bench, scored the winning goal in the final minutes, and we must admit that he is being affected by his advancing age."
The 41-year-old Ronaldo has started in all five of Portugal's World Cup matches so far, scoring 3 goals.
Messi, 39, who has scored 7 goals in four games, is a strong contender for the Golden Boot award.
