Ronaldo hails unique Rooney on England duty

The Real Madrid star Christiano Ronaldo has hailed the "unique" qualities of his former teammate, insisting that Wayne Rooney still has a lot to offer for the Three Lions.

Rooney's place in the England line-up has been subject to recent debate with Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy in fine form ahead of Euro 2016.

But his former Manchester United team-mate Ronaldo has no such feelings, insisting the 30-year-old is a key for Roy Hodgson's side.

"A match against England would be very emotive for me – because of Wayne Rooney and because of many other things too. Roo is now a leader and that’s not a surprise," the Real Madrid star told the Daily Mirror.

"I was always convinced that he would be a star for England and, inevitably, captain one day. It's a perfect role for him after the era of [David] Beckham and [John] Terry.

"For me, the character and pride of Rooney is unique – he's still very important for England."

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Ronaldo also claims that the England team has the capability to succeed in any tournament especially with the presence of some young players with bright future.

"I've watched some of England's recent matches and they have been good to watch. They could do well this time," Ronaldo said.

"For me, England always have a chance to do well in big tournaments and this time they are arriving in France with some interesting young players who have a big future.

"The connection in the team and the team spirit looks positive. Both Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane have scored a lot of goals and had success this year too."