Some thought that Ferguson had gambled by paying £27 million on a teenager but Rooney's record proves them wrong.
On Saturday, it looked like Jose Mourinho and Manchester United’s unbeaten streak of 15 games was going to come to an end with 1 minute left on the clock as United trailed 1-0 against Stoke City after Mata’s terrible deflection in the first half. Manchester United had missed chance after chance in the second half, and a loss seemed on the cards but Wayne Rooney had other things in mind.
Subbed on for Juan Mata, Manchester United captain squared up for a free-kick on the edge of the box, at an angle which demands a cross rather than a shot, and curled it into the far corner. That was the goal English football had been waiting for – number 250, as Rooney surged past the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton to become Manchester United’s all-time top-scorer.
It’s remarkable to think that when Rooney was signed for £27 million in 2004, Sir Alex Ferguson had to defend the appointment, to explain how United could spend such a huge amount on a teenager. It's important to remember that this was a time when the silly money spent on players today wasn't the norm and £27 million on a teenager was considered audacious.
Ferguson had told the media: “The fact is that he was 18 and could spend his career at this club.” Rooney had just had a superlative Euro 2004, the last time an Englishman ever lit up the international tournament and after recovering from injury. Wayne Rooney showed the Old Trafford crowd what he could with a devastating hat-trick against Fenerbahce.
The old gaffer didn’t get much wrong, except when it came to picking a successor, and his prediction about Rooney was on point as 12-and-a-half years later, Rooney stands atop the Manchester United scoring charts, ahead of legends like Charlton, Best, Law and Giggs.
Rooney’s 12-and-a-half association with Manchester United has been strewn with drama. There were the early years when he exploded on the stage unlike any footballer we’d seen in English football, a man-child who seemingly had no fear. There was the partnership with the young Portuguese named Ronaldo, the duo bamboozingly defences with their telepathic understanding. The two of them would mature together and the 2006 World Cup bust up during England v/s Portugal, when Ronaldo appeared to get Rooney sent off after he stepped on Ricardo Carvalho’s family jewels, actually helped them form a stronger bond. Ferguson, the cunning fox, used that incident to create a Us v/s Them siege mentality that has often helped his Manchester United team perform on a different level.
The duo would form the core of best United team under Ferguson that reclaimed the league from Chelsea and also won the Champions League.
In his early years, Wayne Rooney remained slightly erratic, a time-bomb waiting to explode, playing on the edge, where one trigger would see a flash of red. He had a propensity to pick up cards for lashing out at opponents and remonstrating with referees. But that edge also let him do things unseen on the football pitch, the rage fuelling the footballer to try things others wouldn’t dare.
In time, he’d mellow down and become the ultimate team man who’d play anywhere the team needed him. In fact, this aspect of Wayne’s selflessness has often drawn derision from some quarters, with some commentators believing that his desire to fight for the cause, to play wherever the team needed him blunted his striking abilities but they fail to see how Rooney’s all-round game helped the team. Throughout his career, he has played in a variety of positions including number 9, number 10, on both wings and in central midfield and performed well.
However, things look slightly on the wane for Wayne now, because despite being the club captain, he’s no longer an automatic starter for Manchester United. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a role to play at the club, and as a Manchester United fan, one hopes Rooney ignores the advances from China.
He can help blood a new generation of youngsters and play mentor to the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and company in the same way players like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes helped him. All said and done, there’s no denying that Alex Ferguson was right about one thing, it certainly wasn’t a gamble. Manchester United has got its money’s worth and then some more, for signing Wayne Rooney.
Praise for Rooney
It is an incredible achievement for his career to have Manchester United's record and one that belonged to a legend like Bobby Charlton. Now he is the man and he is a legend of Manchester United - Jose Mourinho
He deserves his place in the history books. He is a true great for club and country, and it is fitting that he is now the highest goalscorer for both United and England. I was 35 when I retired. Wayne is only 31 and still going strong, so I don't think he's done by a long stretch yet. He will raise the bar even further before he calls it a day. Now he's the man to beat, and I can't see anybody doing that for a long, long time – Sir Bobby Charlton
Wayne thoroughly deserves his place in the history books of this great club and I am sure that he will go on to score many more – Sir Alex Ferguson
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 "Wayne Rooney, Alex Ferguson, Manchester United, Football, Premier League, Bobby Charlton, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho, Web")
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