Why Wayne Rooney couldn't become as good as Cristiano Ronaldo

Even after 253 goals scored during a prolific 13-year career, which saw him pick up five Premier League titles, one Champions League medal, 3 League Cups, one FA Cup and one FIFA World Club Cup, there’s always a feeling of destiny unfulfilled for Wayne Rooney.  

 On Sunday, as Rooney called time on his Old Trafford career, those of us who watched him break through as a young kid, who made former Arsenal keeper David Seaman look like a chump with that thundering shot in 2002 (Remember the Name) will always wonder if he lived up to his full potential.

 For the kid we saw, had all it took to become the best.

In his latest book Managing My Life – Sir Alex showing that he is as adept at recycling autobiographies as he is at creating championship-winning teams – had argued that at Old Trafford he had managed only four world class players – Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. He had argued that he had seen many players who were capable of world class moments, but a truly world class player was one who would replicate those moments, week in and week out.

With Rooney, the question always remained as to why he didn’t do it week in and week out, why his flashes of brilliance were sporadic.

Our special video celebrates @WayneRooney's 13 years at #MUFC... #FarewellToALegend pic.twitter.com/ZpQn3kRpZ1 — Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 9, 2017

The Liverpudlian had an infuriating habit of getting his goals in purple patches rather than spread over a season, one of the reasons that he managed to score 20 or more goals in a season only four times in 2006-07 (23), 2008-09 (20), 2009-10 (34) and 2011-12 (34). 

While his Old Trafford career is littered with mind-blowing moments like that half-way goal against West Ham, the earth-shattering volley against Newcastle or that bicycle kick against Manchester City, it’s hard to forget the umpteen matches where he trapped the ball further than he kicked it. 

For when Rooney was bad, he was particularly awful, meandering around the pitch like a headless chicken, making everyone wonder how a player of his calibre resembled a Sunday league footballer. 

Given the gifts he exhibited in his prodigious youth, given that he was actually a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo when they were starting to blossom at Old Trafford, there’s a tinge of regret when one compares both their career charts.

While Ronaldo has been jostling with Messi for the tag of ‘Greatest of All Time’ picking up four Ballon D’ors, Rooney’s best performance in a season came when he was fifth in the list in the 2011 FIFA Ballon D’Or.

.@WayneRooney at #MUFC – the key stats… #FarewellToALegend pic.twitter.com/SFsKPpHao9 — Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 9, 2017

It’s hard to pin down exactly what prevented Wayne Rooney from becoming the truly great footballer he was destined to be.  

Perhaps it’s a combination of circumstances and lifestyle choices, a willingness to sacrifice for the team and the lack of a killer instinct that separates good players from truly great ones.

As former Man Utd fitness coach Nick Clegg observed, Rooney was afraid of hitting the gym, never matching Ronaldo’s dedication to turn his body into a sharply-honed machine. Clegg had said: “That’s what set Cristiano Ronaldo apart. He would do whatever training I prescribed and more. He lived and breathed football 24/7 and his dedication was phenomenal. Wayne could still be as good as Cristiano if he emulated his attitude to the gym — he is an amazing athlete when he puts his mind to it.”

Then there was his on and off problem with the bottle, a problem that has haunted several generations of British players and more than once he has been caught having a bender in town and was even dropped by Ferguson for a crucial match against Blackburn in 2012 after turning up worse for the wear in training.

His fitness levels would also dip, and more often than once, he had turned up for pre-season training overweight, something former boss Ferguson didn’t take kindly to.

Being the most well-known British player of his generation hardly helped and he was always in the media spotlight, with instances of his partying or infidelity dominating the press.

His all-or-nothing nature, also ultimately hurt his goal tally as he would dart over the pitch trying to influence the game instead of staying up and being the focal point of an attack.

His selfless nature meant that he would often be reduced to a side role, playing on the wings while Ronaldo played as the main striker.

Perhaps, the moment that prevented him from true greatness came in the 2009-10 season. After Ronaldo departed for Madrid, Rooney became the focal point of Man Utd’s attacks and plundered 34 goals before an injury against Bayern Munich in the Champions League stopped his remarkable season in its tracks. Man Utd won only the League Cup that season and Rooney failed to ever live up to those standards.

.@WayneRooney loves a wonder goal - here's 13 superb strikes, one for each #MUFC season!

And yes, that one's in there... #FarewellToALegend pic.twitter.com/CMt5A5JhG0 — Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 9, 2017

One wonders how things would’ve panned out if he hadn’t got injured, and whether that would him take his training more seriously and challenge Ronaldo-Messi.

While there’s no doubt that he was the best English player of the last two decades, the feeling of unfulfilled potential refuses to go away. 

Maybe it's just a fan's lament, one who has watched his every step, having unrealistic expectations quite like Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakarra's father, but one can't help thinking that Wayne Rooney  did not live up to his true potential.