The former United captain reveals why Dimitar Berbatov’s ‘lazy’ approach never earned the same freedom as football’s two biggest superstars.
Wayne Rooney has lifted the lid on what he sees as a key difference between two of the greatest players ever — Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi — and one of his former Manchester United teammates. The 40-year-old club legend, who starred alongside Ronaldo during the Portuguese forward’s first spell at Old Trafford, said that while Messi and Ronaldo could “get away with” certain habits, Dimitar Berbatov could not.
Rooney famously formed a devastating attacking trio with Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez under Sir Alex Ferguson. He also faced Messi numerous times during his career, holding the Argentine icon in the highest regard. But speaking on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show, he suggested that Berbatov attempted to emulate one aspect of their game — and it backfired.
Rooney says Berbatov tried to ‘get away’ with not defending like Messi and Ronaldo
Rooney didn’t hold back when discussing Berbatov’s defensive work rate, insisting the Bulgarian’s elegant, slow-paced style often crossed into outright “laziness.”
“I think he’s just lazy,” Rooney said. “He didn’t run.”
Rooney added that while Messi and Ronaldo occasionally avoided tracking back, their teammates accepted it because of their match-winning impact. Berbatov, meanwhile, didn’t have that same licence.
“No, I think unless you’re Messi or Ronaldo, then you don’t really get away with it,” Rooney said. “Your teammates don’t let you get away with that. When you lose the ball, get back and defend… the best way to do that is to work. And yeah, Berba definitely didn’t do that.”
Berbatov joined United from Tottenham for £30.75m in 2008 and won two Premier League titles and a League Cup — but his relaxed, almost walking-football approach often led to questions about his intensity.
Rooney recalls Berbatov doing the same in a legends match
Rooney revealed that Berbatov’s trademark reluctance to defend resurfaced when the two reunited in 2024 for a Manchester United legends match against Celtic. Even in a friendly setting, Rooney said he could not convince Berbatov to swap positions for more than half a minute.
“I said, ‘Berba, swap for five minutes. Let me stay up front and you go on the left,’” Rooney recalled. “Within 30 seconds he was back up front.”
Rooney joked that during their time together at United, teammates constantly had to shout at Berbatov to track back.
“You’d be like, ‘Berba, get back in. I’m not running the game for you.’ You had to stay on him the whole game.”
Despite the criticism, Rooney made clear he respects Berbatov, calling him “a good lad” who offered brilliance in his own way. But when it came to defensive graft, he believes only Ronaldo and Messi ever earned the right to pick their moments — and Berbatov wasn’t quite in that category.
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