Wayne Rooney - The 'unforgiven'

“I have to say it’s been a difficult season for me – probably the worst I’ve ever had. That week when I asked for a transfer was something I wouldn’t want to go through ever again, but I feel I made the right decision to stay because this club is always going to be challenging for trophies. “– Wayne Rooney on February 27, 2011.

Back in 2010, when Wayne Rooney handed in a transfer request citing the club’s lack of ambition as the motivating factor behind his decision, the bubble that fans used to stay in suddenly seemed to have burst. Cristiano Ronaldo left for Real Madrid since he always dreamt to play for the Los Blancos; Carlos Tevez showed no remorse when he opted to join United’s city rivals following Sir Alex’s refusal to buy him out. But Wayne Mark Rooney would follow in the footsteps of Scholes and Giggs, or so they thought.

Barely weeks passed before the England international did a complete U-turn and signed a five year contract at the, club keeping him at Old Trafford till June, 2015. Critics felt the transfer request was a ploy to extract a higher salary from the club; some were surprised to see Sir Alex give in to the player’s demands because you either toe his line at the Manchester club or you are shown the door. But fans were already rejoicing, all ready to forgive him, and why would they not? He has always been their poster boy, their ‘Wazza’!

But a couple of seasons since then, Rooney has staged yet another twist in the tale. Sir Alex Ferguson revealed the player’s desire to leave the club but has left it to new manager David Moyes to sort it out. And with bitter relations between the ex-Toffees boss and Rooney existing, the player’s departure seems imminent. The club’s recent statement calling this entire story a complete ‘misunderstanding’ has done little to subdue fears and anger among fans. They have gone crazy; Rooney is their Judas. With calls for selling him being made, the torchbearer of the United DNA seems to have just turned himself into a villain among the fans.

There is a fine line between love and hate, agreed.

But why would Rooney want to leave the club? Is it because he wants to earn more or wants to win the Champions League as this United side aren’t winning that any time soon? Or is it that he just feels mistreated and wants to play the game he loves? You don’t win a cookie for guessing why Rooney is popular among the fans, because every time he steps out onto the pitch wearing the United shirt, he gives his all. When the bald, eccentric yet dangerously gifted striker burst onto the scene, Sir Alex knew he had never seen as exciting an English talent as him and paid over the odds to sign him. Manchester United have signed the ‘White Pele’, newspapers reported. But even though Rooney never quite lived upto the title he was endowed with, he was never quite given the chance to as well.

On his Champions League debut for United against Fenerbahce, Rooney showed the fans what exactly he had to offer. A fine left footed finish for the first, a right footed pile driver for the second and a delightful free kick for the third – Rooney had just scored one of the most brilliant hat tricks one would see. The commentator quickly summed up what was going through every Mancunian’s mind – ‘Wayne Rooney has scored and you will be hearing this quite often’.

Rooney was destined to be the North star of the United side, around whom the team will be designed for the future. But the inevitable happened, when the new number seven from Portugal arrived. Cristiano Ronaldo’s mercurial rise to being the best player in the world sadly co-incided with Rooney’s quiet and gradual slipping into the dark. Rooney had to play out of position many a time so that Sir Alex could implement the 4-5-1 to good effect, with Ronaldo up on his own. And being the selfless team man he has always been, Rooney had no qualms adjusting into a wide role and spend more time defending rather than doing what he does best i.e. score goals. His versatility has always been his curse.

But when Ronaldo finally made his dream come true when he joined Real Madrid, destiny awaited Rooney one more time. Justice delayed is justice denied, or so they say. But the mere prospect of once again being the pivot of the United side excited many, including Rooney. Rooney played as the central striker for United in the 2009-10 season and ended with 34 goals in all competitions and also won the PFA players’ Player of the Year award. But unfortunately for both Rooney and United, they failed to win any major honours that season as Chelsea, under Carlo Ancelotti, lifted the league title.

Such has been his fortune, with arguably the finest season in terms of goalscoring, he could not lead his side to any silverware and that prompted Sir Alex to take emergency action the following season as Dimitar Berbatov became the central striker while Rooney played around him. With a woeful and shockingly disappointing World Cup’10 for the striker, Rooney’s form and temperament were both being questioned. A frustrated Rooney blurted into the camera after the English players were booed off the pitch by the fans, an action for which he had to later apologize. While he continued to struggle on the pitch, failing to shake off the poor form he had picked up during World Cup, Berbatov continued to score in front of goal; Wayne Rooney was a frustrated man. When he scored his first hat trick of the season against West Ham, he ran to the camera and used offensive language and eventually ended up being banned for two games. The season was going from bad to worse for Rooney.

New season brings in new fortune and tidings. Sir Alex once again shifted Rooney to the central striker role while Berbatov had to play behind him. Rooney rediscovered his confidence and form once again as he kept scoring goals and matched his 2009-10 season’s tally of 34. Despite Rooney’s herculean efforts, United lost out to their bitter city rivals in the race to the title just on goal difference. Déjà vu.

Sir Alex’s quest to conquer the title back from their ‘noisy neighbours’ meant he would spend, and just like Cristiano Ronaldo had once arrived to stunt the growth of Rooney, Robin Van Persie arrived and did the same. Déjà vu, again. Inspite of having Rooney, Chicharito and Berbatov among his ranks, Fergie made a move for the Dutchman in the summer. What has never ceased to amaze me is why he would want to sign a new striker given the fact United managed to score four goals less than City, and conceded four more the previous season. Why not spend that money to bring in a central midfielder to strengthen that department, since our midfield was continuously being run over by stronger teams? Was he doubtful about Rooney’s ability to duplicate his performances the following season? Or did he want him to pair up with Van Persie, creating the most feared striking partnership in Europe? If that be the case indeed, why buy a central attacking midfielder like Shinji Kagawa as well? Even though the transfers brought joy to the fans, for some it remained a mystery as to what exactly Fergie was trying to attempt.

However, like it has been for the past two decades, Fergie’s gamble paid off as they ended the season as the Champions of England. Rooney was dropped just in the second match of the season for Van Persie, who scored an emphatic volley to become a favourite at the Stretford end while a gloomy Rooney looked on. The number 10 came on in the second half and as luck would have it, he ended up injured and missed football for the next four weeks. While most would argue as this season being among his worst seasons, I refuse to believe so. Despite being used in almost every different position that there is on a football field, Rooney delivered every time he played – be it as a central midfielder or as a wing forward. He notched up twelve league goals and ten assists, being the second best United player in terms of goal contribution this season behind Van Persie. Impressive statistics for a center forward who has been playing out of position for most of the time so as to accommodate the myriad of attacking talent at the club. But just for the human powers of imagination’s sake, how drastically would have those numbers changed had Rooney been played as the central striker?

He has always been revered as one of the finest strikers of the world but never got his due as he has always been eclipsed by somebody else in the squad; he has never complained. With a supposedly disappointing campaign under his belt, it would be interesting to see which clubs come in if he chooses to leave. What price do United place on him and what are the rest willing to pay for him remains to be seen but if I were Moyes, I would not sell him for a fortune. Because a team might have strikers, midfielder and wingers but none of them have a Rooney.

With his future still undecided, it is clear what Rooney wants to do i.e. play football and score more goals, just like everyone thought he would when he scored against Arsenal for Everton. It is a shame if the fans fail to see through his transfer request and understand the reasons behind it, his passion for the game and love towards the club – you cannot fake either.