Lionel Messi had some pretty complimentary things to say about Wayne Rooney

Lionel Messi has nothing but admiration for Wayne Rooney's ability as a footballer.

The Argentine superstar opened up about some of his fellow colleagues in a recent interview with Shortlist. Messi was particularly complimentary of Manchester United star Rooney. The Barcelona talisman reckons Rooney could provide competition for La Liga's top players and named him personally when asked which footballers he thinks would be suited to the Spanish top flight.

"If you look at the technical ability of a player like Wayne Rooney, he is as good as any player in Europe, Rooney has exceptional quality. Not just great technical ability, but also works very hard for his team. I'm sure Manchester United will never want to let him leave, though."

Messi also spoke about his perceived rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo. He claimed that such a rivalry never existed and it was merely a creation by the media.

"There is no rivalry. It's something the media invented. We both want to do well for our clubs, it is not Messi vs. Ronaldo, it never has been."

Hat-tip to Bleacher Report