AC Milan midfielder David Beckham rates Manchester United star Wayne Rooney alongside teammate Ronaldinho. Beckham rates Rooney so highly he is willing to put him on a par with Ronaldinho, twice World Footballer of the Year and one of the most gifted footballers of his generation.

The Brazilian star was back to his inspirational best two days ago, making all three goals in Milan's 3-2 defeat of Udinese.

"I would compare Wayne to Ronaldinho," Beckham told the Sunday Mirror. "I've always said Wayne is one of the best goalscorers in ­football. And at the moment he's proving that.

"He's at a great club like Manchester United and he's doing what he does best, ­scoring goals.

"United are on fire and Wayne is scoring lots of goals for them - like he can."