Rio Ferdinand Takes Aim at Ex-Teammate Wayne Rooney After Witnessing Cristiano Ronaldo Wonder Goal

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has jokingly warned people not to compare Cristiano Ronaldo's wonder goal against Juventus to Wayne Rooney's 'shinned' bicycle kick against Manchester City in 2011. 

Real Madrid thrashed Juventus 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner starred throughout the thumping victory but most of the post-match reaction around the world was devoted to his sublime second goal. 

Dani Carvajal's lifted cross from the right seemed to float across the box, until Ronaldo soared into the air in a god-like fashion to thunder an unstoppable acrobatic kick past a statuesque Gianluigi Buffon.

Some people have compared Ronaldo's goal last night to Rooney's in 2011 for Manchester United against rivals Manchester City, but Ferdinand was quick to quash those comparisons.

"I was in the stadium fortunate enough to see a goal similar to that, Wayne Rooney's. His one was off his shin pad but the occasion and where he [Ronadlo] is, to score this goal," Ferdinand explained on BT Sport after the game.

"He turns up every time he is asked to deliver on the big stage, he delivers. In his relentless pursuit of greatness, he produces an absolute moment of brilliance.

"This lit up this studio, imagine what it did for people around the world to see one of the greatest, if not the greatest player on the planet, to produce a moment like this against Juventus, the magnitude of the game, the occasion. The athleticism, look how high he is off the floor, it is a joke."

Ronaldo could and maybe should have sealed his hat-trick in stoppage time but could only divert Lucas Vasquez's cross over the bar from six yards out. 

Despite his sumptuous goal and excellent overall performance, Ferdinand believes his former teammate will be focusing on the missed chance. 

"He has turned himself into a box player. He is about end product," the former United player said on BT Sport, as quoted by the Mirror. "I bet you he is thinking more about his miss! He will be slapping himself in the face in the mirror after the game."