WATCH: What Happened When Rooney And Ronaldo Met For The First Time

Both Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed a fruitful spell together during their time at Manchester United.

Both players were brought in by then manager Sir Alex Ferguson at a young age, and both went on to become legends of the club. If Ronaldo added dynamism and skills, Rooney offered his versatility and creation.

But it was back in 2003 when the two players met for the first time on the pitch. That time, Ronaldo was just in his early days at Old Trafford, with Rooney a teenager at Everton. On Boxing Day that year, the two talents were on the pitch, as United hosted Everton.

Ferguson gave rest to star players Ruud van Nistelrooy, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs for the game, with a young Ronaldo entrusted upon to go and express himself.

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Rooney also got a chance in the mouth-watering clash, which ultimately ended 3-2, and saw the Red Devils pull off a 5-goal thriller. But these two youngsters’ first encounter was quite the one to talk about.

Rooney greeted Ronaldo with a wild lunge down the left flank. The Portuguese was busy with his dribbling skills, and Rooney, who was marking him, chose to go all in with a sliding tackle.

When Rooney met Ronaldopic.twitter.com/Z7z82REvMD

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Rooney went on to join United from Everton in the subsequent summer, effectively becoming teammates with Ronaldo. The duo then achieved some great things together in one of the most successful spells by a club in world football.