The post in question reportedly praised Messi as football's greatest player. That framing puts Rooney's old message back in the spotlight at a moment when Messi-related record talk is again front and center for fans, including coverage tied to retirement chatter and fresh milestones.
The clip itself runs roughly half a minute and appears focused on Rooney looking back at that tweet rather than breaking new ground on his current view of the Argentina star. Without a full transcript in circulation, the exact wording of his on-camera reaction remains unclear, though the presentation suggests he is addressing how strongly he rated Messi even back in 2012.
In football fan parlance, calling a player "a joke" often means they are unfairly good rather than a literal insult. That may be how the segment is meant to land, especially when paired with the confirmed detail that Rooney's original post hailed Messi as the sport's best.
For supporters tracking the Messi conversation, the beat is straightforward: a former England captain and longtime rival-era contemporary is reopening one of his most famous public endorsements of Messi, and doing it under a headline hook that could read as praise, disbelief, or both depending on tone.
