Mutual respect: NHL star Alex Ovechkin receives special gift from Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney

Russian NHL superstar Alexander Ovechkin has received a signed jersey from the former Manchester United player Wayne Rooney, whom he met after the Major League Soccer (MLS) match between DC United and Seattle Sounders.

The Washington Capitals captain attended the football match along with his teammates Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov, who cheerfully rooted for DC United from their field-side seats.

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Rooney, the longtime English star who is currently performing for DC United, was on the field on Sunday to help his squad secure a confident 2-0 win, which saw them moving from sixth place into fourth in the Eastern Conference of the MLS.

The former Manchester United star could have scored twice, but missed both chances, striking the crossbar on both occasions.

When the game finished, DC United invited the Washington Capitals “rooting squad” to the locker room, where Rooney gave Ovechkin his signed jersey.

The two sport stars briefly talked to each other before Rooney left the room to take part in a post-match press conference.

This was Ovechkin’s second encounter with the football legend as last year Rooney and his family attended the Caps game before meeting with the Russian forward, who gave him professional hockey sticks as a present.