"We were both young and trying to learn the game when we played against an Italian defence [Milan] two years ago.
"Playing against the likes of [Paolo] Maldini and [Alessandro] Nesta gave us a good platform to learn. From there, me and Cristiano have improved as players, we have matured a lot, especially Cristiano, who has been winning games on his own this season. He has been unbelievable - at the minute he is by far the best player in the world, and hopefully he can work his magic tomorrow and get us into the semi-finals.
"There was a lot of talk about the fact I've not scored for a while in the Champions League and hopefully now the talking will stop and I can concentrate on trying to get more goals," said Rooney. "I don't know why I had not scored for so long. Maybe I should have scored on some occasions, on others the keeper has made good saves, but it will be a relief to finally get the goal - and hopefully it will turn out to be one of the most important I've ever scored."