Is Wayne Rooney Overated?

Vampireskiss

Or maybe gone backwards, I am asking this as a manutd fan but I have never seen him play as well for manutd as he did for england in euro 2004 , I mean he is considered to be up there with ronaldo messi and kaka, is his honesty of effort holding him back?

Mikeyt086

NO.

Record goalscorer in the World Cup qualifiers. Captained England last week. Key to United's success.

shamblertine

this has been his best year for united, he is really benefiting from Ronaldo leaving

Hank Scorpio

rooney will be the best english player in 2/3 years time, certainly not overrated

everdead.ie

They say he was sacrificed when ronaldo was there to play on the left but he's good I dont think he's as good as ronaldo or messi maybe as good as eto and ibrahimovic he suits the english game well tho

Happy Monday

He does not play in the same role as Ronaldo and Messi.
As wide men they need to be quicker, fleet of foot and look to get past people.
He plays in the hole behind a front man and his central midfielders.
It's his control, passing, vision, movement, strength and work ethic and finishing that mark him out.
The World Cup will be a major stage for him.

Morzadec

Is he up there with Ronaldo/Messi? Not quite
Is he overrated? No not for the most part. Perhaps by Dunphy (does he still rate him as the best in the world?), but no in general I dont think he's overrated. Hes a top player

redout

No

Now close this thread.

kippy

He is overrated. How much so is up for debate.
Hes not actually that good a striker. In relation to his record goalscoring in the world cup qualifiers one only has to look at the opposition and indeed similar players who have held record goalscoring feats. See David Healy who I believe was the record goalscorer for the Euro qualifiers a few years.
Theres been lots of keys to uniteds success over the years, Ferguson being the main one followed closely by Ronaldo, and the defence, Rooney of course is a major player for United but he is over rated.

United have no doubt go their 30 mill investment back from him at this stage, he owes them nothing. He gives 100% every game but he has no where near the technical prowess of Messi or Kaka for that matter.

Royale with Cheese

Unless you consider him in the very top tier of players in the world (Messi, Ronaldo etc.), then no, he's not overrated. I wasn't really aware that anybody did rate him that highly.

Vampireskiss

I dont think he has been played in his best position alot of the time for united and he hasn't had a strike partner that would get the best out of him either,if rooney had someone liketorres beside him or larrson his his prime that would be a dream partnership

PHB

I think he's United's most important player. That was even the case when Ronaldo was there, even though Ronaldo is better than him.

He's not up there with Ronaldo and Messi, but he is imo without a doubt in the tier just below them. Outstanding player. You only have to see what his colleagues and the managers say about him to see its a universal feeling too.

applehunter

No he isn't.

Great footballer.

Vampireskiss

If you think about it though when ronaldo joined united he was no where near the player he is today, when rooney joined he was pretty much at the same level he is today , he was steets ahead of ronaldo then but he hasn't progressed much since he joined

Vampireskiss

Torres would be considered better than him now aswell

mike65

redout wrote: »

No

Now close this thread.

Now now, lets not be hasty!

He is only overrated in the way so many superstars are - he can't turn water into wine nor can he be expected to win a game on his own. If Utd had more reliable wide men he'd be scoring more goals I think.

TonyD79

If he had Ronaldo pace he would be the best in the world. But unlike players who decline with age Rooney will get better. He is England best player since Gerrard contributes zero for England. Also Messi looks average when I have seen him play for Argentina vs Brazil so its hard to say whose the best in the world these days.

redout

Rooney for me helps his side more and dictates whether they take it up a level. Messi and Ronaldo for me dont do that. They can usually play well but dont necesseraily make the team pull up their socks and do the same. In Barca case they have Xavi and Iniesta to do it. When Rooney is on fire then United are on fire. I dont think its any coincidence he has been linked to Barca and Ronaldo never really was. His record tells you he is good for about 20 goals every season and just like the other two can change a game in the blink of an eye. He has that "take a game by the scruff of the neck" thing that not many footballers have. He is a special talent.

everdead.ie

TonyD79 wrote: »

If he had Ronaldo pace he would be the best in the world. But unlike players who decline with age Rooney will get better. He is England best player since Gerrard contributes zero for England. Also Messi looks average when I have seen him play for Argentina vs Brazil so its hard to say whose the best in the world these days.

Mad tactics and team picking can make anyone look a fool tbh

Fergie knows his tactics and how to get the best from his players

CR 7

TonyD79 wrote: »

If he had Ronaldo pace he would be the best in the world. But unlike players who decline with age Rooney will get better. He is England best player since Gerrard contributes zero for England. Also Messi looks average when I have seen him play for Argentina vs Brazil so its hard to say whose the best in the world these days.

This may be of interest to you: Click "Head to Head" when it loads.

SlickRic

it depends how highly you rate him.

most rate him as a superb player, which he is.

he's not quite in the very top tier a la messi, kaka, ronaldo, but in the level just below that with the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and the like.

he's been vital to utd's success.

by the end of next year's world cup we may well see him move to that next level.

Headshot

would you put kaka in the top tier ?

The Volt

As an Evertonian it pains me to say this boy is a world beater.

SlickRic

Headshot wrote: »

would you put kaka in the top tier ?

yes.

granted, he hasn't had a great year-18 months, due to injury and temporary loss of form, but i'd still place him there definitely.

even against england the other week, he was on another plane to everyone else imo.

CR 7

Vampireskiss wrote: »

Should non-united fans not have an opinion?

Non united fans are entitled to post in the united thread, as is everyone free to post in every thread.


Clearly he's not overrated, or he'd be winning every individual award every year.

Headshot

SlickRic wrote: »

yes.

granted, he hasn't had a great year-18 months, due to injury and temporary loss of form, but i'd still place him there definitely.

even against england the other week, he was on another plane to everyone else imo.

I would put him on the same level as Rooney

ie not in the same bracket as Messi or Ronaldo but just barely off it

Mr Alan

I do think Rooney is over-rated.

When he burst onto the scene i genuinely thought he was going to be something very very very special, but he seems to have stagnated totally.

He is a very good PL striker, but thats all, not in the top 10 in the world or anything like that.

redout

Mr Alan wrote: »

I do think Rooney is over-rated.

When he burst onto the scene i genuinely thought he was going to be something very very very special, but he seems to have stagnated totally.

He is a very good PL striker, but thats all, not in the top 10 in the world or anything like that.

Ah Al your just jealous a great scouse lad played for Everton and signed for United

Mr Alan

not really.

he wouldnt get into our team with Torres & Gerrard in his positions

SlickRic

Headshot wrote: »

I would put him on the same level as Rooney

for me, rooney's never been consistent enough to be in a Kaka's class.

at best, if you want, kaka is in between the two tiers then.

rooney has never had seasons like Kaka has had; individual performance wise between 2004-2007.

ever.

TonyD79

the_pm_of_17 wrote: »

This may be of interest to you: Click "Head to Head" when it loads.

Well Im sure Nani is just as quick as Ronaldo in a sprint in Carrington but this doesnt cleary translate to the pitch. Also Opta states and the like are a load of crap. Berbatov and Veron are prime examples

antomorro-sei

I think Rooney's a quality player. His workrate is brilliant, constantly tracks back and he's a great striker too.

redout

Mr Alan wrote: »

not really.

he wouldnt get into our team with Torres & Gerrard in his positions

Al I know that you can understandably be biased toward your own side at times but now your just talking horse manure. Any side in the world would do their utmost to try accommoodate him.

Mr Alan

redout wrote: »

Al I know that you can understandably be biased toward your own side at times but now your just talking horse manure. Any side in the world would do their utmost to try accommoodate him.

"trying to accomadate" him, may be the reason he aint fulfilled his potential thus far.

CR 7

TonyD79 wrote: »

Well Im sure Nani is just as quick as Ronaldo in a sprint in Carrington but this doesnt cleary translate to the pitch. Also Opta states and the like are a load of crap. Berbatov and Veron are prime examples

But this is all data recorded during matches, not sprints in training. Rooney is the fastest player with the ball because of his determination and willingness to be the best.

Warper

Top 5 PL strikers

1 Torres
2 Drogba
3 Rooney
4 Van Persie
5 Anelka

He is in the top 3 PL strikers though outside the Worlds top 5. He is a class player and is consistently England's best player. He wouldnt be over-rated.

noodler

Mr Alan wrote: »

not really.

he wouldnt get into our team with Torres & Gerrard in his positions

He could play on either wing for us, he could also play the 50%+ of the season Torres misses in fairness!

Melion

Absolutely class IMO. The first United played i would take at Liverpool, he is a joy to watch.

TonyD79

the_pm_of_17 wrote: »

But this is all data recorded during matches, not sprints in training. Rooney is the fastest player with the ball because of his determination and willingness to be the best.

Yes but if you look at those states Teo Wilcot is slightly slower than him yet Rooney would never murder a defence for pace like how Wilcot did for that goal against Liverpool in the champions leage 2 years ago

noodler

TonyD79 wrote: »

Yes but if you look at those states Teo Wilcot is slightly slower than him yet Rooney would never murder a defence for pace like how Wilcot did for that goal against Liverpool in the champions leage 2 years ago

Very few players are as fast as Walcott - its true.

I still think Rooney hurts lots of teams with his pace though.

Bubs101

I think some people over rate him. Quite a few Man Utd fans weren't worried about losing the V7per because they believed that the key players was Rooney and that Ronaldo just got the goals. Anyone who thought he was more important or a better player for United than Ronaldo overated him

Mr Alan

He is Dirk Kuyt, with a slightly better touch.

Headshot

Mr Alan wrote: »

He is Dirk Kuyt, with a slightly better touch.

lol

your a funny man

Jax Teller

Yes I think so , very rarely does somethin to win man utd game

Unearthly

Mr Alan wrote: »

He is Dirk Kuyt, with a slightly better touch.

BITE BITE BITE BITE BITE etc

CR 7

Mr Alan wrote: »

He is Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, and David N'Gog, all rolled into one, with a slightly better touch.

Couldn't agree more.

SlickRic

Mr Alan wrote: »

He is Dirk Kuyt, with a much better touch, more pace and a better shot.

fyp.

i love dirk and all.

but to mention him with rooney is a bit ridiculous.

He's a good footballer but not a great and definitely not world-class. That phrase gets thrown around way too easily.

He'd shine with a top class striker though.

Eire-Dearg

Bubs101 wrote: »

I think some people over rate him. Quite a few Man Utd fans weren't worried about losing the V7per because they believed that the key players was Rooney and that Ronaldo just got the goals. Anyone who thought he was more important or a better player for United than Ronaldo overated him

I agree with that.

Overrated by some, especially English pundits and international evergreens.

Mr Alan

the comparrison with Kuyt was half tongue in cheek, but they are a lot closer than Utd fans would like to think.

MementoMori

To answer the question it depends on how highly you think he is rated.

Is he the best player in the world? No probably not.
Is he a great player? Clearly yes.
Is he world-class? Don't have a notion what that particular phrase means.

I started a thread about 18 months ago where I posed the question Tevez v Rooney. Quite interesting to read now:D Link below - wonder how many would go for Tevez now?

At the time Rooney had seem to have stagnated a bit [in the sense of matching the wonder-strike against Arsenal and the Champions League debut hat-trick] and the goals had dried up a bit. As I said at the time, I felt he had the potential to be a legend of the game and I'd guess that's what's up for debate now. In terms of what he has done in the last 18 months he has come on a long way and I would agree that Ronaldo leaving has meant he is now clearly the key man for Utd.

A key point to remember about Rooney is that he is still only 24 which would make you think that that he is approaching the best years of his career.
There's also the fact that apart from the short bit at Everton, he has developed his game at Utd, which isn't exactly the easiest place in the world for a young player. The only concerns might be the number of injuries he has picked up and possibly his temper/tendency to pick up silly cards. I could potentially see that come against him in a big WC/EC game if things weren't going England's way.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055280773&highlight=Rooney