Rooney has largely not had a great time of it against the Rossoneri. He experienced two 1-0 defeats in the Last 16 when the sides met in 2005. Then, despite striking twice at Old Trafford in the semi-finals in 2007, Rooney ended up on the losing side in the San Siro as a tired-looking United lost 3-0 and subsequently bowed out.
Seedorf scored that night and clearly left an impression on Rooney, then only 21. "For me, Seedorf is probably the best player I’ve ever played against," Wayne said recently. "When we played Milan at the San Siro a few years ago, he was unbelievable.”
Seedorf has witnessed Rooney’s progression as a player in staggered meetings with the Reds over the last five years. But when the 33-year-old Milan veteran lines up against United this time, he’ll see a player arguably at his peak. Rooney is a much more experienced European campaigner, and knows what to expect against the wily Rossoneri.
“Milan have a number of players who can score goals, particularly from set-pieces, so I think we’ll have to be wary of that,” says Wayne.
"They have Pirlo and Becks… some great players. Ronaldinho is a special player, too. He’s unbelievable when he’s on form. I saw recently that he was voted Player of the Decade, so that shows how much of a talent he is. We’ll need to be at our best to beat them.”
