Wayne Rooney was only 18 years old when he came to the Theater of Dream, following the record-breaking transfer fee for teenagers at that time. He is getting the world’s attention earlier than Cristiano Ronaldo, but how can he fall too soon.
Wayne Mark Rooney born in Croxteth, Liverpool, and began his football career in the local academy, Everton, before making his professional debut at age 16, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history in his first season (the record has since been surpassed). Statistically, he is one of the greatest strikers that England ever had; he is fast, confident, and clinical in front of the goal. Until now, he is just behind Alan Shearer on all-time top scorer in the premier league.
Have the same ages as his ex-teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, the difference is Rooney’s career declined when Ronaldo is still at his best. Many people, including pundit and sports analysis, pointed at Rooney’s lack of discipline as one reason behind the fall. When Ronaldo has a strict diet and insane work ethic, Rooney enjoys his fame with a bottle of wine, food, and nightlife. Rooney has a pure talent that will keep him at the top of his career if he works as hard as Ronaldo did. It is a shame that the world never sees how great he became if he had more discipline.
The lack of discipline has cost him many times, both inside and outside of the field. His temper has made him sent-off on many occasions, and the most iconic moment is his dismissal in World Cup 2006 against Portugal. He also got problems from his personal life, including sleeping with £1,000-a-night prostitute Jenny Thompson while his wife was pregnant and spending too much time in bars, clubs, and casinos.
His former teammate, Rio Ferdinand, has revealed in his new book about the extent of Wayne Rooney’s tantrums off the field as he described Rooney as “a very angry young man” due to his tendency to go through new mobile phones “like they were sweets.” Ferdinand added that Rooney seemed to fly into a rage about the smallest things, and he would smash phones up in frustration and throw them on the concrete.
His manager in Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, understands that Rooney is the most precious asset that the club has. He even tried several approaches to maximize Rooney’s potential. One of Sir Alex’s attempts at solving Rooney’s temper and discipline problem is by giving the armband to him to make him feel more responsible for his attitude and the club’s sake. This strategy is not flawless but practically its work. A similar approach also occurred at the international level, when Rooney was named captain of the English national team in 2014.
Rooney has broken Sir Bobby Charlton’s record for the most career goals scored for the English national team at the international level. Meanwhile, he never provided silverware with the England national team. His best achievement in the world cup is the quarter-final in 2006, despite never scoring a single goal and only played in limited time due to a metatarsal injury that he got in the previous season with United.
However, let’s be honest, Ronaldo is insane. He trains like a machine. He has constantly worked hard for more than 17 years. At 35 years old, Ronaldo is still rocking the world with his speed and power. On the other side, Rooney looks happy to spend his free time with his family while also still playing for Derby Country in the Championship. In November 2020, Rooney shared on Instagram a moment when he accompanied his kid to sign for United, just like he did 16 years ago. Apparently, he is more focused on his family and trying to repay his previous mistake to his wife.
More recently became player-manager for Derby County. The management role came sooner for him. With anything he is doing now, it looks like he will not be forgotten soon, at least not until his position in second place of all-time goalscorer in EPL has been taken. (HNM)