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Let’s not anoint him as the Second Coming just yet…

Published by Ian John on March 15, 2010

For many years now I’ve listened to football fans, media hacks and television pundits eulogise to the point of almost teenage infatuation, about the wondrous footballing talent of Cristiano Ronaldo. We heard during his time at Manchester United, about how he was irreplaceable and the best player in the world, how his value to United reached far beyond his £80m valuation, how replacing him was almost impossible, how a player of his talent actually made United the great triple title winning team that they are.

While not wishing to downplay his role in United’s success in recent times, Ronaldo for me was always the picture boy for Old Trafford because of his skills and goals. But, he was allowed to play his best position because other players would make the sacrifice necessary for him to do that. Midfielders would cover back to allow Ronaldo the chance to get forward and perhaps most tellingly, Wayne Rooney would switch to a left midfield role to give the side balance. While Ronaldo shone, United made hay and Rooney became an important player, but not quite on the same level as Ronaldo.

Now for many years, I’ve argued that Rooney was more important to United than Ronaldo, even when the Portuguese star netted 42 goals, I felt Rooney had the potential and ability (and consistency) to be at least as important to the United cause as Ronaldo was. I’ve had Manchester United fans looking at me as if I was strange when I said they could keep Ronaldo and I’d take Rooney in my team every time. I was looked at as a small minded or parochial, refusing to “forgive and forget” the winking incident from the 2006 World Cup finals. It wasn’t that at all. I just thought Wayne Rooney, played in his best position every week, is a better all round footballer, team player and will score just as many goals as Ronaldo.

So you can imagine how much I’ve enjoyed this season as the England man has done just that.

So I hope you will also understand why I now ask for a large section of the sporting media, fans and pundits to come to their senses a little and regain some perspective. I would just like this opportunity to point out;

1. Wayne Rooney isn’t Barack Obama. He isn’t going to sort out every problem the world has ever faced, feed the hungry, shelter the weak, free the oppressed and save the world once he’s finished training.
2. Wayne Rooney isn’t going to win the League, Champions League, World Cup, Wimbledon, University Boat Race and the World Heavyweight Boxing title on his own.
3. Wayne Rooney isn’t the second coming.

The fact is Wayne Rooney hasn’t suddenly become a great player this season. He’s been this good most of the time, the difference is now we are not blinded by the Ronaldo factor and have allowed the most talented English footballer of his generation the chance to play in his best position for the vast majority of the season. This is why Sir Alex may have entertained selling Ronaldo, but you can bet your bottom dollar that Rooney isn’t going anywhere soon. Glazer induced debt or not.

But, and this is the salient point, we must not get carried away by the hype that is being created. Over the last few weeks we’ve had commentators wetting themselves in delight over how many headers he has scored, feverishly pointing out that he is now on target to equal or surpass Ronaldo’s 41 goal season of a few years back. He’s gone from being “almost a great player” to “a world class star” to “the best footballer in the world at present” and probably shortly to “the best footballer who has ever lived or will ever live, so we may as well end the game now and invent a new sport. Perfection has been attained”, all in the space of about a month.

Amazing what four goals in the Champions League second round against AC Milan can do for you isn’t it?

This is so unfair on Rooney. Yes he is having a majestic season, but I often felt his contribution was overlooked so often at times when Ronaldo was at United that the frustration within him must have been burning. I think at times, you saw that frustration rise to the fore (Fulham away anybody?). Now played in his best position, Rooney is doing all that he did fantastically well when shoved out wide on the left, in front of goal and its turned into goals. Lots of them.

His influence on the England team is now equally as strong. He isn’t the captain, he probably hasn’t slept with enough women yet to earn that accolade, but in every sense he is the spiritual leader of the team. He is the man that all fans rally behind, whether you support Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal. Parochialism matters not when Rooney pulls on an England shirt and the reason fans love him is the secret of his success…

He plays the game like a fan would if they had the chance. He shows the same passion, determination and willingness to strive every fibre of his being for the success the team craves. Unlike us fans however, that is allied to arguably the finest footballing talent this country has produced in many a year.

So yes, Rooney is fantastic, he is one of the best players in the world. He deserves most of the recognition he is getting. It is, for me at least, long overdue. But he isn’t the saviour of English football just yet.

Let’s hope that, come July, he is.

Image Courtesy of *** Nicky Deez *** on flickr.com

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