Wayne Rooney was at Manchester United for thirteen years. He rose to become the club’s captain. He played 393 times for United. He became the top goalscorer of all time at Old Trafford. He won 16 trophies with the club, including five Premiership titles. Yet, the jury is still out on whether he is an Old Trafford legend.
Several players who have achieved less than what Rooney achieved at United are today honoured as legends at their respective clubs. Apart from Wayne topping the goals ‘chart’at the Theatre of Dreams, he also holds the Premiership record for most goals scored for one club. He scored 183 goals for United. So, you have every right to ask, why then is there a heated debate about whether Rooney is a legend or not?
The truth is, a lot of Old Trafford faithful appreciate Rooney for what he has achieved at and contributed to the club but they don’t see him as a true Red. Most diehard United supporters see Rooney as an opportunist, albeit a very talented player.
The boy from the blue part of Liverpool did not help his own case mainly due to bad advice from his agents. In October 2010, he got into the bad books of arguably the greatest legend at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson. Rooney wanted a new and improved contract and he was wrongly advised that the best way to go about it was to ask for a transfer. He made matters worse by going into contract discussions with the old enemies, the noisy neighbours at The Etiihad.
It was betrayal of the highest order but the blackmail worked. United could not afford for its then poster boy to join city rivals. Nothing confirms the shift of power more than that. The board bent all the way backwards and gave Rooney a five-year contract reportedly worth £250,000 a week. But it was not a case of living happily ever after. Sir Alex came on TV almost crying when he declared that Rooney asked for a transfer. The whole of the United family got their hearts broken watching the great old man at his most vulnerable. The guy who reduced the proud Scottish legend to a crying wreck can never be forgotten nor forgiven. Although a few people believe the teary eyes move was an act to whip up support for the club. Oh well, two can play the game. If Rooney can flirt with City to get an improved offer, Ferguson can play the fans to force him to stay.
All appeared forgiven in some quarters though, until the last season of Sir Alex at Old Trafford. In April 2013, Rooney asked for a transfer again!! Twice in three years. Sir Alex was so angry he benched him for the most high-profile game of the season, a Champions League battle with the Galaticos from Real Madrid. Rooney did not also play at the historical last ever competitive game of Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager. It was against West Brom. Funny enough, Romelu Lukaku, who replaced Rooney at Manchester United, scored a hat-trick in that game against the then crowned champions.
Many people believe if Alex Ferguson had stayed one extra season at United, Rooney would never have become the club’s captain, he would have been sold off. But fortunately for Rooney, Sir Alex left and David Moyes took over.
Another factor that appears to work against Rooney being hailed as a legend at Manchester United is the fact though he is today United’s top scorer, he remains the only high-profile main striker who never won the Premiership’s golden boot. United’s great strikers like Dwight Yorke, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov and even Robin van Persie, who came from Arsenal, all won the Premiership highest goal scorer awards but Rooney never did.
The worst interview Rooney could have granted as regards his claim as a United legend was the one where he said he slept in his Everton top all the years he spent at Manchester United. He was probably trying to worm his way into the hearts of Everton fans by saying that but in truth, he just made his case worse. United fans see him as a chancer who came to Old Trafford for better pay and an enhanced opportunity to win trophies.
Everton fans see him as a disloyal player who dumped his first love in search of greener pastures. So while attempting to please two separate sets of fans at different stages of his career, he ended up antagonizing both. It is so sad that such a talented and successful player will be remembered as a player who achieved a lot at two different clubs and grew to be regarded as a true legend at none.
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