Wayne Rooney - A football career in decline
Wayne Rooney burst onto the scene as a 16 year old, with that wonder goal against Arsenal which made Clive Tyldesley claim "Remember the name, Wayne Rooney." At the time it seemed obvious to the English public that he was something special, the kind of player that England hadn't seen in a long time.
Then, in 2003, at the age of 17, he became the youngest player to play for England. The English people,and the media started to believe that in Rooney, they had a player who was going to lead them to a long due World Cup or Euro title. He burst onto the international scene at Euro 2004, scoring 4 goals and taking the tournament by storm. Eventually he did get injured, but he made the team of the tournament. He claimed that "Once a Blue, Always a blue" to dispel any notions of him leaving Everton.
But then in 2004 came his big move to Manchester United. They splashed the money on this 18 year old, and he created a sensational impact in his first game, by scoring a hattrick against Fenerbahce, giving United fans a taste of what was to come in the coming years. He went on to contribute well in the 04-05 and 05-06 seasons, scoring his fair share of goals and also winning the PFA Young player of the year on 2 consecutive occasions.
He was expected to lead England's charge at the 2006 World Cup. Great fears were raised over his participation in the World Cup, after he sustained a broken metatarsal during the make or break game[for United] against Chelsea in April 2006. He eventually was deemed fit enough to come on as a substitute in the first game of the World Cup against Trinidad & Tobago and start the other games.
But it all turned into an anti-climax when he was sent off against Portugal in the quarter finals with half an hour to go for a foul on Ricardo Carvalho. He was accused of being the villain of England's World Cup exit, with doubts being cast on his and Cristiano Ronaldo's relationship as Ronaldo played a major part in Rooney getting sent off. But what happened the next three years at Manchester United was magical.
Both Rooney and Ronaldo dealt with the situation really well, and claimed to have no issues with one another and in 2006-07, after the sale of the club's most prolific striker in Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Rooney and Ronaldo formed a brilliant combination firing United to the Premier league title, with Ronaldo leading the scoring charts and Rooney playing a major part.
They also made the Champions league semi finals and the FA Cup final, and on the way to the Champions league semi final, they beat Roma 7-1 which was a "Magical Manchester United" performance. They lost to the eventual champions Milan in the semi final.
The following season, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, Manchester United, led by Ronaldo and Rooney, got a double, beating Chelsea to both the Premier League and the Champions league titles. England failed to make Euro 2008 and another season followed in 08-09 when United retained the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final only to lose to Barcelona.
In the summer of 2009, Ronaldo left for Real Madrid and Rooney became the main man at United. He was the one everyone looked at to lead United to silverware after the departure of Ronaldo. And he didn't disappoint with his performances. He reached 100 goals for the club, and with his goal-scoring form almost inspired them to an unexpected League title only to get injured in the final weeks of the season.
When Rooney got injured, United were on top of the league and in the Champions league quarter finals,but went on to lose them both in a week as they lost to Chelsea in the League, and went out to Bayern Munich on away goals in the Champions League. It was the best season of Rooney's career though, as he won the PFA Players’ Player of the year. Yet again, he went to the World cup with great expectations heaped upon him but he failed to score at the World Cup again.
Then came the hiccup. He claimed he wanted to leave the club, as he felt they weren't making major signings and weren't showing enough ambition. He eventually performed a U-turn and signed a five year deal, and United fans, to their credit, accepted him back. Although the season didn't turn out to be great individually, he showed glimpses of his best,by scoring that bicycle kick against Manchester City, a hattrick against West Ham and scoring the penalty that clinched the League title for United away at Blackburn.
He also scored in the Champions League quarterfinals, the semifinals and also in the final against Barcelona, as Manchester United eventually lost 3-1.
In the following season, he scored more than 30 goals, but the season ended trophyless for United, as they lost out to Manchester City in the Premier League race on the final day, when City scored twice in stoppage time against QPR to clinch the title. Till 2012, Rooney had been a major part in determining how United played, as they relied on a fast tempo game, with great speed on the counter attack.
This was the beginning of his decline as a footballer. Manchester United went on to sign Robin van Persie before the beginning off the next season. Rooney was no more the main man at United. His performances the following season were well below par and not upto his previous standards. Also,Robin van Persie led the team with goals every week and kept them top of the table. Rooney was back to the role he used to play when United had Ronaldo; he had become the supporting man again,now to van Persie. But he couldn't match his previous standards.
In the 2006-09 period,when Rooney and Ronaldo led United, even though Ronaldo was the main man, Rooney was criticial to Manchester United's performances, with their being stats that when Rooney didn't play, United's win % dropped by a big margin. It wasn't the same anymore. Rooney didn't play a major part in United's league win in the 2012-13 season,with a major contribution coming from Robin van Persie. He was also dropped for many big games, including the Champions league knockout round second leg against Real Madrid, with Danny Welbeck preferred to him.
Sir Alex Ferguson claimed it was due to Rooney's dropping performances, which Rooney didn't agree with. But it was obvious Rooney wasn't the same player he once was. He had lost a fair amount of pace. His touch let him down often, and he slowed United's play down at times. It was also obvious Rooney and van Persie weren’t able to form the partnership they were expected to, which was hugely disappointing for United. The relations between Ferguson and Rooney had also fallen apart.
Sir Alex eventually announced his retirement, and on the day United lifted the League, he claimed that Rooney had asked for a transfer again. No United fans were siding with him anymore. Although they understood his frustration at being dropped for crucial games, they agreed with Sir Alex that it was due to his performances.
In came David Moyes, who was Rooney's first manager at Everton. They had had disputes in the past, but they claimed that that was the past. Moyes persuaded Rooney to stay,and he signed a new five year deal worth a whopping 300,000 pounds a week. Was he really worth it? Opinions have been greatly divided. Player power took over at United. It almost seemed like both Rooney and van Persie were un-droppable.
Rooney almost seemed to have Moyes under control. Rooney went onto score his fair share of goals and got his fair share of assists,but opinions on his performances amongst United fans were divided. Was he a key reason for United's performances dropping and them finishing 7th in the table? Yes,the stats were good, but stats don't always tell the true story. He had an awful game every 3rd match. He slowed United's game and counter attack down, taking too much time on the ball,and not offering enough creativity as a number 10.
On most occasions,he passed the ball down the right to Antonio Valencia, who was having a poor season himself. He didn't satisfy the credentials anymore that were required in a number 10. United also had Danny Welbeck pushing for a place in the starting line up, who albeit not being great in front of goal, provided great touch and link up play and had good pace. They also went on to sign Juan Mata,who is a number 10 himself. In addition to this, Manchester United have Shinji Kagawa. This situation is a great dilemma.
Where does Rooney fit in the team? Is he a better striker than Robin van Persie? Is he a better number 10 than Juan Mata or Shinji Kagawa? Does he have enough to play out wide? Is he ready to play out wide without throwing tantrums? Is he ready to be rotated in and out of the squad? Is he blocking the growth of players like Danny Welbeck? Most of all, is he worth the wage United are paying him?
Well,he certainly isn't the same player that he once was. Not on a regular basis anyway. His performances for England have also drawn great criticism with the fans urging Roy Hodgson to prefer players like Ross Barkley to him. Paul Scholes said recently that Rooney reached his peak early in his career. He is spot on. Rooney was and still is a special player, but he isn't the same player anymore. He peaked early in his career and has been on the decline for 2-3 years now.
His story is similar to Michael Owen, who himself peaked very early in his career. United have a decision to make on Rooney. If he is ready to be rotated in and out of the team,there is no harm in keeping him. But,those wages for a player who is rotated in and out?
If you could trust anyone to make this decision at United,it would be Louis van Gaal. He is not going to be affected by player power. He is the man to make the big decisions at United right now. Wayne Rooney has had a great career, but all the issues plaguing his football are probably the reasons he was never mentioned in the same breath as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.