Is Wayne Rooney the greatest English footballer of the Premier League era?

The freckled demon

As Manchester United prepared to take on Real Madrid in the Bernabéu in February of 2013, Marca described the Rooney as “the freckled demon, built like a barrel packed with gunpowder”. Typical of the Castilian paper to be so colourful; atypical to be so accurate.

Bustling with violent energy, Rooney used to play every game like he would have were he back on the streets of Croxteth, running after every ball, taking on every man himself, scoring goals, creating chances and charging into tackles everywhere. For Everton, and in his first years at Manchester United (and with England), he played just off the main striker, running, nay, charging into spaces and creating about as much chaos in opposition defences as an angry bull in a china shop.

Later, after Ruud van Nistelrooy moved on, he teamed up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to form a deadly (and incredibly hardworking) front trio. After Tevez and Ronaldo moved on, Rooney moved up top on his own, where he discovered the traditional English art-form of heading a football with the violence of a Glasgow kiss. Surprisingly, heading had been the one weak chink in his armour, not anymore. He still put in a shift for the team, and took as much pleasure in creating a goal as scoring one.

More than his ability, though, what shone through was his willingness to sacrifice personal glory for the team’s success. The likes of Ronaldo may have stolen the limelight, but that success was built on Rooney’s skill and perspiration. If he could have played as a goalkeeper, few doubt he would at the very least have been a very committed one.

In 2013, the day after Marca had called him a freckled demon – and United’s biggest threat – he lined up on the right wing, with the express detail of making sure his old buddy, Ronaldo, didn’t get up to any mischief. As frustrated as he must have been to be sidelined so, he followed the orders to the T and Ronaldo got very little joy, or support, on Rooney’s side of the pitch.

As ever, Rooney’s all-round ability and bloody-minded commitment had been sacrificed for the greater good of the team (not that it did United any good though).

Where Alan Shearer always played through the centre, and the trio of midfielders always preferred the centre of the park, Rooney has been successful across the pitch. It’s an ability that Louis Van Gaal sought to harness by playing him in the middle of the pitch – where he acquitted himself rather well.

Van Gaal, as David Moyes and Sir Alex Ferguson (as well as a host of England coaches) before him, had recogonised the incredible concoction of technically ability, attacking instincts, sheer commitment, willingness (and desire) to ask for the ball anywhere on the pitch and overall footballing nous that make Rooney so potent; a footballing force like no other seen in the last 20 years on the shores of the land where they first began to kick a ball around for sport.

Wayne Rooney: KO ‘ing opposition teams since 2002

Epilogue

4 April 4 2015. Angel Di Maria sent a high, fizzing cross into the box. The Manchester United captain struck out an improbably high leg and with a velvety soft touch killed the pace and spin on the ball.

As the ball bounced, no danger to Brad Guzan’s goal seemed evident. Within that split second though, the stocky, freckled man spun with the viciousness of an uncoiling cobra and lashed a perfect first time volley high into the net.

Old Trafford erupted. Wayne Rooney stood in the middle of the opposition six-yard box, arms outstretched, basking in the glory.

He is only 29-and-a-half years old. For arguably the greatest English footballer of the Premier League era, the glory will not stop any time soon.