Ballon d’Or runner up Lionel Messi revealed his ‘2008 Best XI’ to uefa.com which includes a couple of Manchester United players.. but amongst them, there’s no Ronaldo!

The cupless player who finished behind the Portuguese Star winger in last season’s UEFA’s Top Scorer chart was full of praise for England’s Wayne Rooney whom he included in his list:

“I love this type of player. He has a great shot, good control of the ball, uses his body well in the area. He is a great goalscorer,” Messi explained.

The Argentine forward also had some positives on Rio Ferdinand:

“He is very good in the air and very strong on his feet,”

“He is very hard to get past.”

The 21 year old omitted himself from the line up, filling the place with his compatriot Sergio Aguero.

The fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is not part of Messi’s chosen players is undoubtedly very telling, especially because above all, the Blaugrana picked up another Manchester United personality – Ferguson – as the best coach of the year.

It gives the impression that the tension of rivalry between the two is higher than one may think.

Messi’s full ‘Team of 2008’: Petr Cech (Chelsea), Maicon (Inter), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Javier Zanetti (Inter), Xavi (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).

Written by: Angela Asante