Wayne Rooney – The finished article

Wayne Mark Rooney is regarded by some as one of the finest English players of all time. A former Toffee, he currently plays for Manchester United at club level. He is United’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League era having netted over 150 times for the club.

Wayne Rooney has come under media scrutiny throughout his career mostly for reasons other than his footballing talent. As a footballing wonder-kid, his every move was discussed extensively. Whether it was for being sent off multiple times early in his career, responding sarcastically to the English fans booing their players off the pitch or even swearing at referees for unfavourable decisions, Wayne has always been heavily criticized for these incidents. When you happen to watch a Rooney interview or ask people who really know the lad, you realize that these were incidents which occurred due to his passion for the game and off course initially his immaturity. Wayne has since then, calmed down substantially without losing that infectious passion for the sport. Sir Alex’s quote about Rooney encapsulates my point:

“He’s 19 years of age. He’s a fiery character and competitive. I think maybe when he sees things that are a bit of an injustice against him then he reacts like that.”

When you watch Wayne Rooney play, be it for United or England, what you see, in addition to pure class, is his immense commitment to the winning cause, on and off the ball. This is the one thing that separates him from other footballing greats. Even when the other heads on the pitch drop in tough situations, Rooney never stops and his energy gets everyone else going as well. His zest is contagious and Rooney, no doubt, is an indispensable team player.

Wayne Rooney is of course, one of the most technically sound footballers on the planet. His over-head kick against City earlier this year or his wonder-volley against Newcastle in ‘05 are just a couple of examples of his impeccable technical abilities.

Two of Rooney's most famous goals.

Wonderfully strong on the ball, Rooney’s ability to pick a pass, shoot from a distance and unselfishly work for the team are unmatched. Wayne has been deployed as a CM, CAM and even a Left winger on several occasions, mainly for United. The simple reason for this is his supreme ability on the ball. This enables him to play out of his skin in every one of those positions. From stunning free kicks to raking passes from one end of the pitch to the other, Rooney can do it all without breaking a sweat. His passion and desire are unquestionable. Even two-time World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi, noted that and said in an interview,

“We all know football players at the top level are blessed with high wages, it’s no secret. But Rooney would play for 100 euros-a-week. You can see the fire in his eyes. It’s that fire which makes him the best of the best.”

Wayne Rooney no doubt has had his problems on and off the pitch, much like all footballers. What really matters is that he’s overcome them and developed into one of the best footballers this planet has ever seen.

Unlike Messi or Ronaldo, Rooney is a more “complete” footballer for me. Having lost a bit of pace post his injuries, his all-round play on and off the ball, has gone up a couple of notches. His ability to get others into play and get the whole team buzzing is what really marks him down as a potential legend. Unlike most players who are “Born to play”, Rooney comes off as a player who in addition to that, “needs to play”.

Wayne Rooney’s attitude towards the game is an embodiment of the famous Bill Shankly quote, “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that!”