Wayne Rooney is NOT an England great – Opinion

And yes, there is definitely a difference.

An England great has to have either had great success with the national team, like Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton or Gordon Banks. Failing that, at the very least he has to have created great individual moments while playing for England, like David Beckham, Paul Gascoigne and David Nugent (OK, not really).

 

Rooney’s club career thus far has been littered with great success. Manchester United have won FIVE Premier League titles, two League Cups and a Champions League trophy during his time at the club and there’s not one person on earth who would dare dispute the role Rooney has played in helping the Red Devils achieve those honours.

However, as an England player, Rooney has never made it further than the quarter-final stage of a major tournament. Although football is obviously a team sport, Rooney has produced nothing in an England shirt since Euro 2004, when he was included in UEFA’s ‘Team of the Tournament’, to suggest he has been any better than the rest of our bang-average side.

When you are asked to think of Rooney’s greatest individual moments in a Manchester United shirt, the iconic overhead kick against Manchester City in 2011 instantly springs to mind. In truth, you could write a fairly long list of similar highlights to prove Rooney is, without doubt, a United great.

However, if you are asked to recall his greatest individual moments on the international stage, you will find the list is far shorter – perhaps even non-existent.

Rooney has scored 48 goals so far for England. One more and he’ll have scored more than any other Englishman in history; and yet, none of them are even remotely memorable. It could be argued the only one of his 48 goals that stands out above the rest is his tap in during the Three Lions’ 2-1 defeat against Uruguay at the 2014 World Cup.

And why does this fairly mediocre-looking goal stand out? Because it is the only goal Rooney has ever scored at a World Cup finals. Three tournaments, 11 matches and just one goal.

Is this really the record of an England great?

In fact, Rooney’s MOST memorable moments in an England shirt all seem to be negative. When he was needlessly sent off at the 2006 World Cup for a pathetic stamp on Ricardo Carvalho. When he was needlessly sent off AGAIN during a Euro 2012 qualifier in Montenegro – which resulted in him missing the first two games of the following year’s tournament. And finally when he had the audacity to whine at TV cameras about being booed off the pitch following England’s woeful 0-0 group stage draw against Algeria at the 2010 World Cup.

To this day, Rooney’s best days in an England shirt came when he was just 18 years old and scored four goals at Euro 2004. Since then, England’s number ten has simply disappointed for his country, as his goal droughts in major tournaments combined with indiscipline on the big stage have prevented him from becoming the Three Lions' great he clearly should have been.