Lionel Messi has revealed his admiration for Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and stated that he would like to play alongside the striker.

The Barcelona star likes the passion that the England forward has and is a fan beause he feels that playing football is not about money for him.

Rooney's all-or-nothing approach to the game has impressed Messi and he feels that the pressure the United forward is under is similar to what he has at Barca.

"You can see the love and passion for the game in Wayne Rooney's face and I have a feeling he is one of those players who would play for £100 a week because football is in his blood," he was quoted as saying by News of the World.

"When he loses, it hurts and those are the sort of players you want to be playing with."

"I can understand the pressure on him, but to be honest, from what I have seen, Rooney is the sort of player who would thrive playing under pressure."