1.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 08:18:54
Well done tris. Took a while I'd say.

It's amazing to look back at rooneys career with all his a won and all the stats he has and still say he didn't fulfill his true potential.

Those early to mid 20s, my god, he was just a joy. Incredible.

{Ed001's Note - it is a shame, he could have been so special.}

2.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 10:20:59
I will never forget his debut against Fenerbache. The season in 2010 when ronaldo and tevez left he was absolutely unplayable.

3.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 11:31:03
Great comparison, Tris. Rooney is United and England's all time leading scorer, has a trophy cabinet to rival most and has made more money than can be counted but you still feel he didn't make anywhere near the enough of his talent.

It shows how good Ronaldo was in his last couple of seasons at United that Fergie let Rooney and Tevez (two of the best around at the time) cover the vast majority of his defensive work.

{Ed001's Note - I used to take pelters on here because I was so harsh on him, but that is exactly how I see it. He was so good at 16 and yet at 25 was he any better than then? Maybe a tiny bit but certainly nothing like the amount he should have improved.}

4.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 12:00:21
Great read as always Ed, cheers.
These two tearing it up together in their earlier days at United was an amazing time, even during that rebuilding period after we had fallen away a bit and Chelsea were dominating.
Rooney was dynamite in his earlier career. For me probably the most exciting signing we ever made, especially after his performances at Euro 2004.
Agree that his off pitch lifestyle pulled him back significantly, which is a shame, but considering what he still achieved after all those fags and pints in the modern game show how talented he was. Without that rubbish we’d be talking about one of the world greats, like ronaldo, rather than a British great.
One thing I would say Ed is the references and comparisons including their physicality and performance in the current day might be a tad bit harsh.

{Ed001's Note - unfortunately you can't do a comparison article without it ending up being harsh on Rooney and he only has himself to blame. He made the choices he did and Ronaldo made different ones. Rooney now is an example of what could have been when compared to Ronaldo.}

5.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 12:04:03
Ed do you think sometimes Rooney also tried too much because once the likes of ronaldo left we never had the same quality? Always felt like he tried to do absolutely everything. Ronaldo changed his game and became obsessed with goal scoring and the numbers he’s put in have been amazing. Always felt Rooney wanted to do everything and that actually restricted him at times? Obviously the lifestyle didn’t help either!

{Ed001's Note - that was the point I was trying to make with the comments about him running around like a headless chicken. He was trying to do the work of 3 or 4 instead of just doing his job and letting everyone else do theirs.}

6.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 12:32:47
I was probably one of the ones giving you pelters about Rooney haha!

Other than Pogba, Rooney was probably the most discussed topic on this site over the last decade. Moods and attitudes towards him also varied wildly throughout that period.

In hindsight, from around 2011 onwards it was clear Rooney wasn't going to reach the very top level of players like Ronaldo or Messi even though that should have been his peak. At the time I'd definitely have argued he could still be considered one of the best in the world even though he was probably already on the decline. Don't get me wrong he was still a great player but he produced bits of brilliance rather than consistent levels of it.

{Ed001's Note - it always felt a waste for me as I remember him in the youth teams at Everton and knew how good he could have been. Such a shame. You just know he will regret it when he retires and sits there with millions in the bank but it will not make up for the feeling of regret. Just a few years of sacrifice and he could have spent the rest of his life as a legend that transcended club boundaries in the way Ronaldo and Messi have.}

7.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 13:03:30
Ed001,

The club failed him aswell. He had to play box to box midfielder, the number 10 and a 9 and sometimes a winger. Had the right signings be made he would have broken Charltons record long before he did. He really should have scored more goals for England aswell.

As you pointed out, part of the blame lays with him. You wonder if had taken up yoga like Giggs did etc, had eaten better and not drank, just how good he could have been.

Fjngers crossed Rashford can eclipse him in the right way aswell.

{Ed001's Note - Rashford certainly seems the most likely to live life the right way and have the attitude, as well as the ability, to really become something special.}

8.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 13:09:41
I think Rooney done ok to be honest, you can compare very few people in the history of the game to ronaldo.

Owen was a prodigies young talent but tailed off .
Ronaldinho training and life style always an issue fantastic talent tho .
Brazil ronaldo fantastic player but issues about his lifestyle did he get 100 % out if his god given talent? In the same way the present ronaldo has .

Sometimes you need to judge a player on what he achieved instead of what he never or what you think he should of .
The psychological part of a player is as much a part of a player as the physical.
Ronaldos biggest asset might not be speed its probably imo drive, determination and motivation and this has elevated other areas of his game.

Saying a player isn't motivated enough or dedicated enough is just the same as saying a player isn't big enough or fast enough . Its all a part of what makes a player .

A player is pretty much made up of a physical side, technically side and psychological side . You can make a player quicker, better on the ball or more determined but only to the best of that players ability .
Imagine ronaldinho with ronaldo work ethic and lifstyle, what a player.
Or matt le tiss with owens pace .

But ultimately imo you can only judge a player on what he does, because that is the player he actually is.

{Ed001's Note - I can name hundreds down the years that can be compared with Ronaldo. Stanley Matthews is the first that springs to mind. Dedication to their craft is not a new thing. All the others you mentioned are just examples of players who should have been so much more, I am not sure what point you are trying to make. It feels like you have totally missed the whole point of a comparison article.}

9.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 13:36:50
Why should they of been better? If there physiological make up is lacking they will only reach a certain level .
In exactly the same way if the technical or physical level is lacking.
Its all part of what makes a player.

10.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 14:29:22
To be honest why op was discussing the comments below not the original comparison article .
My bad.

11.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 15:52:24
l remember until 2007 (i think) when Ronaldo missed a game there was not a big difference in the team. But when Rooney missed the difference was huge, i remember debating about how Rooney was more vital than Ronaldo. But unfortunately they followed different roads.

12.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 16:26:01
Jred, your technical ability can be improved with training, your physical condition can be improved with training, your psychological condition can be improved via training.

The limit is more or less where you set it, most players could have achieved more with hindsight.

Rooney had just as much natural talent as Messi and Ronaldo, yet Rooney's lack of professionalism and mentality mean that while he is a year younger than Ronaldo he has spent the past few years knocking around between Everton, the USA and now Derby in the championship. While Ronaldo was winning the Balon d'Or, the UCL and playing at Real Madrid and Juventus.

The fact Rooney had been a nonentity for 3 to 4 years tells you how badly he went off the tracks.

He never improved to the level he was capable of and his body and mind broke down long before they should/ could have done.

The difference between him and Ronaldo is chalk and cheese, while Ronaldo chalks up honour after honour and continues to break records Rooney has long since eaten all the cheese and is now a Dairylea Dunker.

13.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 17:31:27
May I add to the Rooney and Ronaldo article, which was interesting.

I was there for both their debuts at OT and watched them both live numerous times. I think reference to perhaps, football intelligence is perhaps missing in the article, but I am not denigrating anyone.

Rooney when young thrived on instinct, he played as he did on the street at home, he didn’t have to think about what he was doing, it just came naturally. Yet when it came time to develop or adapt he didn’t or didn’t understand the need to, when he had to think about the game he seemed indecisive, easy passes would go astray. As to Ronaldo, he had brilliant instinct as well, yet he has adapted his game, his lifestyle, his training, understanding the best way to make the most of his skills and change. It runs through the article in a way but I thought it worth mentioning. Perhaps Rooney didn’t have the guidance at key points or didn’t listen but Ronaldo understood when to change and it sets him right up there with the greatest ever.

It may not be popular but I think like Rooney, GIggs didn’t take that extra step like Ronaldo did yet could have done. Was it learning from playing in a different league with different advice or was it just that Ronaldo understood himself better?

14.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 18:16:15
shappy that's nonsense, every single player has a ceiling. You can improve but everyone has a limit .
Rooney hasn't got the natural talent of messi 100% .
In the very early days he may of been as effective as messi or ronaldo but he wasn't as naturally talented.

Try and evaluate rooney (or any player ) on what he did because that is the player he was .
You can't say a player lacks determination etc and then say he should of been better . If he hasn't got the correct mindset he will only reach a certain level . Its no different to saying a player would be better if he was quicker or bigger or stronger .

"The fact Rooney had been a nonentity for 3 to 4 years tells you how badly he went off the track"

Does it?
It tells you a awful lot of things really .
A lot of players play past there peak or peak at different times for a variety of reasons.
Comparing any player to ronaldo is a big ask.
Maradona is the best football I have ever seen but only if you judge him on what he did, instead of what he didn't.
Gazza is probably the best English player I've ever seen . But only if you judge him on what he did, instead of what he didn't or what he could of .

15.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 19:01:40
redman
I agree with a lot of that I would also add when you compare most players to ronaldo they are going to come of second best, especially when compared to mental strength and drive. I personally think its the strongest part of his game .
From an early age ronaldo wanted to be THE best and had the drive and dedication to push himself to them levels.
I've made a similar point about giggs before but also players like giggs Rooney, Owen etc who come into the game so early and are that far ahead of there peers often take football life for granted. The psychological side can be missing as things have come easily to them .
This might be surprising to hear for some but some players don't necessarily want to be the best they can be, especially when they have started early in any sport .
Like anybody else they can be happy with what they have and lack the commitment to push themselves to the next level. And that can be for a variety of reasons.
But a player should be judged on what he did achieve imo.

16.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 20:47:38
Jred, no one is saying Rooney was a bad player. Just that he could have been so much more if he worked a little harder, dedicated himself a little more and was generally more professional.

Rooney managed to become one of the best players to play in the EPL, but he had the natural ability to be one of the greatest of all time.

17.) 28 Jun 2020
28 Jun 2020 20:53:19
Maybe also the fact that Ronaldo came to a foreign country helped him become a better player. He had to take on another language and culture as well playing with another team, another style of playing which is the premier league.

I often wish our youngsters spent more time on reciprocal loans with players from Barcelona Madrid or Juve. Going abroad would help them mature as players and more importantly as people.

For me Ronaldo is better than Messi not just for football ability but for the fact that he has conquered every league he had played in whilst Messi has only played in the relatively comfortable Spanish league. If Rooney had gone abroad and been able to adapt to foreign climes I think he would have fulfilled all his potential.

18.) 29 Jun 2020
29 Jun 2020 08:49:06
it says a lot of just how good Rooney was,

all time leading goal scorer playing mainly out of position,

he was the ultimate team player.

like many have said his outside habits and lifestyle may of hindered another 5 years of playing at the top level.


one of my favorite united players ever.

19.) 29 Jun 2020
29 Jun 2020 10:54:46
Shappy the truth is he wouldn't of been .
In the early part of his career at his peak he was full of drive and determination he could of maybe been marginal better.
At 27/ 28 years old he possible hit his peak scoring 34 goals in a season but he wasn't going to imorove much at that point, he had already been playing for 11 seasons.
He had been playing at the top for 11 year. Not many do that
Most players start to tail off, especially if they have had injuries.
I'm not sure rooney was the same player after 2010 when he done his ankle when playing injured against munich .
Still played well after that but his game had changed imo.

{Ed001's Note - it is pointless talking to you if you think mentality can't be changed. Ask players like Troy Deeney, who would have been in jail now if he hadn't changed his. Anyone can change, just like they can train harder. Sometimes it is for the better, sometimes the worse, such as George Best or Jimmy Johnstone, who grew up obsessively practising but then found the pressure of fame adversely affected them and turned away from the obsessive training and hid behind the drink. Any part of you can be changed, it is up to us to decide if we change for the better or worse, but change is constant and we grow and evolve throughout our lives.}

20.) 29 Jun 2020
29 Jun 2020 12:25:43
Judge a player on his achievements.
Yeah that's a good idea🤣🤣🤣😂 hilarious.

21.) 29 Jun 2020
29 Jun 2020 13:36:58
Judge a player on what he does ken 100% . Kane has been a fantastic player for example judge him by what he has done on the pitch not what he never done. Like win a cup.

22.) 29 Jun 2020
29 Jun 2020 14:21:16
Judge a player by his achievements. I agree jred i agree whole heartedly.

23.) 29 Jun 2020
29 Jun 2020 14:23:14
1st 6 words of the eds response sums it and you up perfectly.