NOT YOUR AVERAGE FOOTBALLER ... Harry Redknapp has hailed the genius of Leo Messi

How they compare

HEADING

ROONEY: NOT a particularly tall player but has the natural ability to climb high and put terrific power behind his headers. 4

MESSI: FOR obvious reasons he's no Peter Crouch. But even at 5ft 7in he poses an aerial threat - as United found out in the final two years ago. 3

DRIBBLING

ROONEY: RUNS at opponents and has quick feet but is up against the best defenders in the business, who will work hard to close him down. 3

MESSI: A JOY to behold, he has truly magical feet. Watching him dance with ease around opponents is worth the entrance money alone. 5

SHOOTING

ROONEY: WHEN he's in top form he can produce a memorable moment and bust a net. Volleys, half-volleys - it makes no difference to Rooney. 5

MESSI: WHAT sets Messi apart is his all-round game. Starts and finishes great moves and can score with either foot from any angle. 5

STRENGTH

ROONEY: BUILT like a bulldozer, he takes some stopping in full flow. But he defies his strength with terrific agility and balance. 5

MESSI: SURPRISINGLY robust, despite his slight frame. Often takes a real pounding from defenders but is tough to knock off the ball. 4

PASSING

ROONEY: OFTEN puts a ball on a team-mate's toes from 40 yards away. Also has the agility of mind to complete the most intricate of passes. 5

MESSI: USUALLY short, neat, quick one-twos. Simply superb over 10 yards. Has the ability to slice open the tightest of defences. 5

FEAR FACTOR

ROONEY: CAN change matches single-handedly and has the heart of a lion. When on top of his game, can destroy teams on his own. 4

MESSI: HIS is the biggest name in football right now. Often seems awe-inspiring and totally unplayable. Opposition beware. 5

TOTAL: ROONEY 26 MESSI 27

Don't Mess about with Lionel

HARRY REDKNAPP says he would sign Lionel Messi ahead of Wayne Rooney

THE stage is set for Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney to make Saturday's Champions League final an all-time classic.

As a manager, it's almost impossible to decide who you would have in your team IF you could buy only one of them.

But it's the kind of dilemma I would love to have as we are dealing with two of the game's best-ever players.

They look totally different yet are surprisingly similar.

Both can open up a defence with one turn of a boot and each is a great passer of the ball, even though they play different styles.

A mate of mine said to me the other day, after watching Messi destroy a team on his own, that the Argentine looks like the sort of bloke you'd find sitting in a bookies in the afternoon, smoking a fag and betting on horses.

He's a skinny runt who looks nothing like a modern-day footballer really.

He has funny little legs that move awkwardly when he runs and if he turned up at your club as a 16-year-old, you'd send him away with a pat on the head and tell him he'd no chance of making it.

But what I really admire about little Leo is that he has shown you don't have to be 6ft tall with a six pack to make it in football, even these days.

Some of the best players of all time were little blokes. George Best wasn't overly tall and he was slightly built. Look at the great Leeds side with Billy Bremner - or what about Celtic wing wizard Jimmy Johnstone?

Look at Luka Modric in my team, a fantastic player who is an integral part of Spurs.

You can't kick Messi out of a game as he rides tackles like a thoroughbred horse. The lad is surprisingly strong and can turn a game with his incredible acceleration or lightning-quick short passing movements, before applying a world-class finish.

Argentina legend Ossie Ardiles insists Barcelona's Messi is better than fellow countryman Diego Maradona and that's some verdict, as Maradona was a genius.

But it's hard to find a weakness in Messi's game and I guess the only aspect of his play which is not so strong is his heading.

Still, he doesn't appear to have struggled, having hit 49 goals this season compared to Rooney's 15.

Like Messi, Rooney still has a schoolboy enthusiasm for football. David Moyes, his old boss at Everton, told me how, as a teenager, Wayne would often go over the park for a kickabout with his mates AFTER training.

Managers can always tell how much energy a player is putting into his game and both these players give everything. Watch them, particularly when they lose the ball. There'll be no standing still, hands on hips.

They will chase back like eager puppies, almost as if it was a personal insult to have been tackled in the first place.

For me, Messi is undoubtedly the No 1 player in the world. Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo is No 2 but Rooney is definitely in the top 10, even though this may not have been his best season for Manchester United.

I love the way Rooney is so strong. If he comes off injured, you know it must be bad because he is so desperate to play.

He heads the ball far better than Messi even though he is not the tallest around. And, like Alan Shearer, you won't find many defenders winning the physical battle against Wayne.

Like Messi, he can turn a match in one instant. Look at that overhead kick against Manchester City at Old Trafford this season. Incredible stuff.

If you had to pick a flaw in Rooney it would be a mental one rather than a physical one, as he can get a bit carried away.

We have seen examples of that this year, such as when he swore at TV cameras during United's win at West Ham - only to apologise after the game.

But that aggression has to be channelled to get the best out of him and he will need to stay in control on Saturday.

If, by some miracle, my chairman Daniel Levy told me I could sign one of these two for Tottenham this summer it would take a long time to decide - once I'd picked myself up off the floor!

But I think I'd go for Messi because he is simply the best player in the world.

I also believe Barca will win 2-1, as much as I hope I'm wrong.

United may have the best boss in the world but they will be up against the world's best team.