Manchester City star Tevez: Wayne Rooney is a better player than Ballon d'Or winner Messi

Lionel Messi may have lifted the Ballon D’or but Carlos Tevez insists the best player he has played alongside is Wayne Rooney.

The Manchester City striker has overlooked the more prolific Cristiano Ronaldo and the more mesmeric Messi – having played with both - in favour of street-fighter Rooney, whom he believes has a similar background to his own.

Tevez said: “I’ve had the honour of playing with some great players.

“At United, I had Cristiano in my team and obviously I have Messi in the national team.

“At Boca Juniors I had striker Martin Palermo for a team-mate – he was very impressive. He was the one who put two goals past Real Madrid in Japan.

“But the one I like the most is Rooney. He has everything. He’s very complete.

“Plus we share the same humble origins. Although the humbleness he experienced growing up in Liverpool was obviously a bit more bearable than Fuerte Apache in Argentina, where I grew up.”

Tevez is set to start in tonight’s Carling Cup quarter-final and is ready to seize the chance to convince Mark Hughes that he can be a regular starter.

City's new hero has also revealed that he's a fan of two of Manchester’s other most famous exports – Coronation Street and Oasis.

He said: “I watch Coronation Street now and then. I do like it. I don’t understand some things because of the language barrier, but it seems very good.

“Obviously I listen to Oasis. I really like their music. I met the Gallagher brothers when I first arrived at City.

“They seemed like really good guys and we were on the same wavelength, in tune with each other straightaway.

“I like their music and they like how I play.”