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Congratulations on the 20th, Wayne. An unbelievable, unprecedented achievement. Few clubs remain at the top for so long and to be an indispensable entity of such a club for so many years is commendable to say the least.
Okay, so the title is wrapped up, the noisy neighbours have been silenced and the new and more challenging season beckons. But all does not seem well at Old Trafford. There is this air of uncertainty that looms large and threatens to spread and suffocate almost everyone associated with the club. With Sir Alex bidding farewell and you handing in another transfer request, the future seems a bit bleak to the amateur United fan.
Questioning the ambitions of a club which strives to achieve excellence in almost everything that it does is a little perplexing. Lack of ambition is the last thing that comes to my mind when asked about United. So I don’t see that being the sole or even one of the reasons for you handing in the transfer request. I think it’s something more personal, something which has been stirring up for quite some time now.
Ever since you debuted for United the onus was on you and a few other players like Ronaldo to carry the clubs legacy forward. The club was always known to rise from the ashes and destroy its opponents. Excellence was what everyone at the club strived for and United had a found a perfect combination in Ronaldo and you to take the clubs legacy to new heights. Ronaldo left midway(in 2008) but you were still hanging in there showing your loyalty to the club, which made you everything you were. All the time when Ronaldo was at the club, he stole the limelight with his bag of tricks and fancy hairdos; you on the other hand kept stacking up the goals upfront. Yes, you were United’s very own golden boy, but Ronaldo just managed to outshine you every time he took the field.
Post Ronaldo, it was time for Mr. Berbatov to take centre stage. A classy striker whose stupendous first touches and serenity with the ball at his feet made him a sight to behold. Eventually, the goals dried up for Berbatov, and he was blamed for his languid nature on the field. You, on the other hand, kept running up and down the field, helping the defence out, setting up goals for Berbatov and scoring a few yourself as well.
Then came Robin Van Persie, Sir Alex’s big summer signing, in order to shut the noisy neighbours. He turned out be quite a revelation too, and with you being in and out of the side with injury ,Van Persie became the new face of United. He scored when he wanted and suddenly all we could hear was chants of RVP around the stadium. The ‘ROOONEYY’ chants were mere whispers now, and I guess that’s when you decided that you had had enough.
It’s tough being you. Putting in all the hard hours in training, scoring important goals, running up and down the pitch to help the defence and then getting outshone and overshadowed by your own teammates. I know you’re all professional, but that’s bound to hurt whhen you know you are as good as your colleague, if not better, but somehow the fans just tend to bend a little towards them. It’s not like you haven’t had your share of the pie, but it hurts when someone constantly enjoys the most delicious piece of it.
Being number two is just not you, and I guess this is where the problem lies. Some people just resign to their fate and learn to thrive in the shadow of a teammate, but others like you want to be the best at everything they do. They also crave for some recognition by the fans. There is nothing wrong in feeling a little itchy when a new player comes into the club and steals the spotlight away from you, but then blaming the ambitions of the club when it’s actually a personal problem is something that is unacceptable. By doubting the ambitions of the club you are in a way questioning your own ambitions.
We have always loved you, Wayne. You have been the poster boy of United ever since you honed that Red jersey. I accept to buying the number 7 and the number 20 jersey instead of the number 10, but I guess that was just an attempt to be one of the crowd. I also accept to considering Ronaldo more valuable to the team than you(a small part of me still does), and I guess I felt the same way about Van Persie for almost the entire season but as they say, you only realise the value of something when you are about to lose it. All these years you have been the centre of our ‘United universe’. Please don’t leave us now.
Give the fans a chance, give the club a chance and most importantly give yourself one more chance at United because there is NO place to go from here. Also you are not a bad guy, you are just a man who is finding it tough to deal with playing under the shadow of another player, and I guess that is because you have to play in a position that is just not your own. Upfront is where you belong and I just hope David Moyes finds a way to play you and Van Persie both at the top. If you decide to leave this summer I won’t question your decision, all I would do is wonder as to how much more you could have achieved at this club.
Also one last thing, that overhead kick was just out of this world. Late at night, I still watch it. Thank you for all the memories. You will always be our Wazza.
Sincerely,
A United fan
