Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed everyone in the game is baffled by the failure of the big names to perform at the World Cup.
Wayne Rooney endured a miserable World Cup, but Ferguson believes he will be stronger for the experience and pointed out the England striker was not alone in falling short of expectations, with his former club-mate Cristiano Ronaldo also failing to shine.
He said: 'All the best players with the expectation and hype had bad tournaments - Messi, Ronaldo. It's difficult to say with Ronaldo. I spoke to (Portugal coach) Carlos Queiroz after the tournament. He is a great coach, and he's as baffled as anyone. I don't think the Portugal team is as good as it has been in the past.
"World Cup football comes along every four years and for a lot of players it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing. In the case of Wayne he'll have other opportunities and he'll be much better because experience of getting to semifinals, that kind of thing, helps.
"Remember, Wayne has not had any great experience of World Cup football."
