What’s the story
After yesterday’s The Best FIFA Football awards, it has been revealed that Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney gave one of his votes for the FIFA best coach of the year to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
Also Read: FIFA BEST Awards: Claudio Ranieri named Men's Coach of the Year
In an excellent display of sportsmanship, Rooney kept aside the Liverpool-Manchester United rivalry and voted for the Merseyside manager. The 30-year-old Englishman gave 5 points to Claudio Ranieri, 3 points to Wales manager Chris Coleman, followed by a point to Klopp.
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Back in November, pictures from a wedding had surfaced on social media which featured a drunk Wayne Rooney along with other England stars. However, when asked to comment on the incident, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was quick to defend Rooney as he completely downplayed the event.
The manager added that modern players were a lot more professional and the media needs to cut them some slack.
The heart of the matter
The inaugural Best FIFA Football Awards saw Rooney’s former Manchester United team-mate, Cristiano Ronaldo, take home ‘The Best FIFA Men’s Player’ award, ahead of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann.
Klopp came 7th in ‘The Best FIFA Men's Coach’ ranking, as Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri won the top gong.
The appointment of Jurgen Klopp as the new manager after Brendan Rodgers was a great morale booster for the Liverpool faithful. In 2016, the manager guided his team to the Europa League and the League Cup finals but was on the losing end on both the occasions.
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo crowned The Best FIFA Men's Player for 2016
Klopp has also been extremely shrewd in the transfer market and has roped in good players like Sadio Mane, Georgino Wijnaldum, Ragnar Klavan and Joel Matip, who are perfect for the brand of football the German wants Liverpool to play.
What next?
The vote comes a week ahead of the North West Derby between Manchester United and Liverpool, which promises to be a spicy affair.
The Merseyside club have closed down the gap between them and league leaders, Chelsea, with five points separating the two clubs, while Manchester United are five points behind Liverpool and lie in 6th place.
Sportskeeda’s take
It is refreshing to see a player keep rivalry and competition aside and give credit where it’s due. Rooney has displayed and set an example for future generations by upholding the importance of sportsmanship and the spirit of the game.
At a time when award ceremonies have often been called out for not being fair, the Englishman’s vote for Klopp screams – fair play.
