Wayne Rooney deserves to be put in the same category as the world’s leading players including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. This is the view of former West Germany star Paul Breitner, who believes Rooney has earned the reputation of being a global icon. The World Cup winner also feels that while United currently have a team full of star names, it is Rooney who is the talisman and epitomises what Manchester United are about. Breitner stated when referring to the Man Utd squad, “You have so many outstanding players in your team and in your squad but, of course, if you talk right now about the players of Manchester United then, in Europe and in world football, the number one is Wayne Rooney.”
“If you have a player at the level of [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi or [Franck] Ribery for instance, you are always thinking of him, Wayne Rooney, [as well] because he is for many, many football fans and hundreds of millions of people, he is Manchester United. He is apart from the other great players you have. He is a man who embodies all the history of the club,” added Breitner.
Rooney is now in his tenth season with the club and there is no doubt he has matured since he first arrived in the summer of 2004. Ten years on, he is now the captain and leader of this new look United team. This season he has shown that in many different ways, firstly he spent most of the season playing out of position in an almost holding midfielder role. No complaints from the man himself, even though many fans weren’t too happy with this, he realised he had to fill in due to a barrage of injuries within the squad and still was one of the top performers for the team, this showed his selflessness for the squad he leads. In recent games, like the victory over Spurs on Sunday, he led from the front and was devastating, displaying this best with the third and final goal when he picked up a loose ball and drove at the Spurs defence and finished in the bottom corner. His goals and performances are going to be the key factor in the ‘rat race’ for a top four finish.
There’s no doubt Rooney is a global icon, his career is likely going to finish with individual records that will include, record goal scorer for both Man Utd and England (overtaking the great Bobby Charlton in both instances), a record which will cement his legacy.
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