18 players who broke 'forbidden' Cristiano Ronaldo rule including nine ex-Man Utd teammates

18 players have broken a "forbidden" Cristiano Ronaldo rule, including nine former Manchester United players.

Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are widely deemed to be the two greatest footballers of all-time and have changed the game with their unprecedented success.

The pair have 13 Ballon d'Ors between them and have been involved in a truly iconic rivalry.

Everyone has an opinion on who is the better player, with players tending to opt for the star who they have the greater association with.

However, it is in fact not exactly the case as plenty of Ronaldo's former teammates have actually gone against him in the best player chat.

A total of 18 stars who shared a dressing room with the Portuguese superstar have actually sided with Messi in the debate, with Wayne Rooney doing so recently when asked the burning question.

“I think Messi, he’s the best ever," he said in an interview with Gary Neville for The Overlap, by Sky Bet.

"I get a lot of stick for saying Messi where it’s as if, ‘How can you say Messi, it’s Ronaldo.’

“I understand that people can say Messi, people can say Ronaldo – they are both incredible, probably the best two players to ever play the game.”

He added: “For me, Messi has just got that little bit more flare, which I like in a player, so that’s the reason.”

Rooney's comments may just have irked Ronaldo but he isn't the only ex colleague.

Toni Kroos, who lived next door to Ronaldo, changed his tune, while Dimitar Berbatov, Gareth Bale, Rio Ferdinand, Sergio Ramos, Angel Di Maria and Paul Scholes have Messi clear.

With help from a thread on X, the list is as follows:

Wayne Rooney

Toni Kroos

Dimitar Berbatov

Mesut Ozil

Gareth Bale

Sergio Ramos

Rio Ferdinand

Wojciech Szczesny

Luka Modric

Marcus Rashford

Luke Shaw

Paul Scholes

Angel Di Maria

David de Gea

Iker Casillas

Gerard Pique

Matthijs de Ligt

Deco