Wayne Rooney At 30- The Standout Moments
By Sam White
The testimonial match is a curious thing. Long before footballers became multi-millionaire celebrities, it was a way to raise money for retiring players and see them through as they transitioned to a life away from the pitch.
Wayne Rooney, serving captain of Manchester United and England, is on 300k a week and is still one of the first names on the match day team sheet every week, so it’s fair to say his testimonial match, scheduled for Wednesday against his boyhood club Everton, serves other purposes.
One thing it certainly allows is for us to reflect on some of the incredible moments which have tacked the parabola of his stellar career- the overhead kicks, screamers at 16, and gradual conversion from the explosive menace of his youth to the more restrained, less incendiary, but still entirely indispensable figure he cuts today.
Rooney Announces His Arrival
From the start of the 2002/3 season, the 16 year old Rooney had been used mainly as a late substitute for Everton by his then manager David Moyes, who wanted to keep the young forward’s raw talent under cautious wraps. Everyone at the Merseyside club knew how good Rooney was, and word was getting round outside Everton too, particularly when he came on as a sub in an autumn FA Cup tie against Wrexham and scored two goals.
For the league fixture against Arsenal, Rooney was again on the bench. This was an Arsenal side which was unbeaten in 29 games, featuring Henry, Vieira and Bergkamp, and managed by Wenger at his competitive, obsessive best. The Gunners were on course to extend their intimidating, unbeaten run to 30 games when Rooney was introduced late in the second half, with the score at 1-1.
As the game phased into time added on, the bullishly imposing teenager from Croxteth decided to formally introduce himself. A high lob forwards from Gravesen on the half-way line is brought under instant control with a perfect first touch and a spin, immediately creating space for two more precise touches towards the box, whereupon Rooney opens himself up and, from 25 yards, powers an impeccable, swerving shot past David Seaman and into the top left corner of the net.
Remember the name- Wayne Rooney!
‘Remember the name- Wayne Rooney!’ yells an awestruck Clive Tyldesley, commentating. You can be sure that Ferguson had.
Euro 2004
A criticism of Rooney is that he hasn’t performed well in international tournaments, and has never come close to dragging the national team to glory in the manner of a giant like (no pressure) Maradona.
This is always followed by a caveat regarding Euro 2004 though, when Rooney, in his debut international competition, was unstoppable, elemental, and furiously brilliant.
Rooney scored four goals in four matches, and generated a buzz whenever the ball was at his feet. His close control was skilled and intuitive, he dribbled at speed and took on defenders, he appeared loose, muscular and instinctive, occupied his space robustly and with menace, and shot with channeled, unstoppable power. In general he did an all round perfect job of terrifying opposition teams.
Then, in the quarter final against Portugal, he picked up an injury and couldn’t continue. England went out on penalties, and the familiar pangs, pains and waves of melancholy, the nonconvertible birthright of any England fan, were reinstated.
It seems strange, 12 years later, that performances like those of Euro 2004 were never again to be repeated by Rooney in an England shirt, and it’s impossible not to reflect that somewhere down the line, the opportunity for real national team glory was let slip, although precisely why is open to debate.
Manchester United Debut
Rooney signed for United in August 2004 when he was still only 18, for £25.6 million- at that time a record fee for a player of his age. In Ferguson’s world Rooney had always been the solid embodiment of what a Manchester United player is- in terms of calibre, swagger and mentality he couldn’t become anything else- so the fee was simply a necessary formality.
He made his debut in a Champion’s League tie against Fenerbahce at Old Trafford at the end of September. Would the pressure of the occasion, and his own price tag, weigh heavy? How about the fact that he was coming back from a spell out of action with a broken foot? And let’s not forget that in among the highs of the Ferguson era, this was a below par team, containing less than impressive bit part players like Kleberson, Djemba-Djemba and Bellion.
a streetwise, unrestrained and entirely fearless temperament
In this context, Rooney unfurled a stupendously memorable debut, combining balance and technique, the easy throttle and chicaning power of youth, and the streetwise, unrestrained and entirely fearless temperament that came naturally to him.
Oh, and he scored a hat-trick, all three goals stunning the opposition from outside the box, including a beautifully curled free kick. United won 6-2 and the fans went home delirious, elated by some rousing Croxteth magic: the mind warping trick of making £25.6 million seem like a bargain.
Turning Down Chelsea
When David Moyes took over at United in the summer of 2013, Rooney was being heavily linked with a move to Chelsea. Mourinho, then manager of the London club, was very public in his desire to make the striker a central component of his team, and it was easy to see how Rooney could fit effectively into the Portuguese’s game plan. Mourinho admired his speed and directness, and Rooney became Chelsea’s main transfer target. Rooney at that time appeared dissatisfied at Old Trafford, and somewhat drained by what had become an uneasy relationship with Ferguson. Furthermore, he’d had a very well documented legal falling out with the incoming new manager some years earlier, when Moyes had sued Rooney for libel.
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A fresh start looked to be on the cards, but against many people’s expectations, Rooney and his advisors hammered out a new deal, and he stayed at United. Was it that he was on course to break several scoring and appearance records at the club and didn’t want to abandon them? Does he prefer to be in his native North West? Or is it the small incentive of £300’000 a week that caused him to stay?
Certainly a lot of fans speculated that the entire flirtation with Chelsea was simply a means of leveraging a bigger contract. However, by showing commitment on the field of play, Rooney ensured that speculation over his motives for staying was soon forgotten..
During Moyes’ gloomy time in charge, Rooney was one of the very few players who performed with distinction- following directions, rising to every game, and never appearing to be affected by the air of mutinous disaffection around the dressing room.
Overhead Kick Against Manchester City
It’s the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. The newly minted City have built themselves into formidable contenders- Roberto Mancini is in charge- but have yet to validate their potential with a title, still have a dismal record at Old Trafford, and are held in disdain by Ferguson.
The tie is slipping toward finishing 1-1, when Nani sends over a cross from the right. The arcing ball takes a slight deflection so that it is heading just behind the waiting Rooney, but in a split second he dextrously adjusts his body, leaps and hangs, and with taut limbs extended executes a perfect bicycle kick, connecting hard with his right foot and arrowing the ball back across goal and into the top right corner of the net.
City were back to being City (until the following season of course), United went on to win their 19th league title, drawing one ahead of Liverpool, and Rooney described it as the best goal of his career.
The Future Under Mourinho
Mourinho has stated firmly that Rooney will remain the team captain, and will be played as a forward. He is known to be long standing admirer, going back to his attempts to sign Rooney for Chelsea, and it now appears that the feeling is mutual, with United’s captain praising Mourinho’s abilities, and offering believable missives that a return to form is on the cards for United this season.
A great quality of Rooney’s is his apparent love for the game, unwillingness to sulk when things don’t go his way, and sleeves rolled up realism. He worked hard and respected the coaches even during the lowest ebbs of Moyes’ and Van Gaal’s stints in charge, so it’s exciting to consider the enhanced possibilities under a leader of Mourinho’s calibre, and bolstered by incoming talent like Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan.
Rooney has never hidden, never shirked his responsibilities, and never allowed himself to be negatively affected by pressure, praise, or criticism. As Ferguson recognized 12 years ago, this is why it always seemed like he was made to be a Manchester United player.