Rooney...
Given he will break Bobby Charlton's goal scoring record where does he stand among the top England strikers?
Many will probably quite rightly point to his disappointing tournament scoring record and say that marks him down but he has been very consistent (when others haven't) in qualifying.
It is a shame we have not see the best of Rooney when it really matters (since 2004) for various reasons and I feel whilst you have to credit him for breaking the record there are others who could be considered greater.
Many will probably quite rightly point to his disappointing tournament scoring record and say that marks him down but he has been very consistent (when others haven't) in qualifying.
It is a shame we have not see the best of Rooney when it really matters (since 2004) for various reasons and I feel whilst you have to credit him for breaking the record there are others who could be considered greater.
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Did any of those play teams like San Marino or the Faroe Islands?
We won't know how great he is until he finishes really but since he's been both Utd & England captain, he seems to have matured greatly.
Major Tournments like World Cups & Euros are where he'll be judged. Much like Messi, he has never really done it at the highest level . Also having crap England managers who haven't got a clue how to play him makes his job harder.
If you think about it, by the time he retires, he could be England's and Manchester United's all time record goalscorer, not that bad a feat really to have is it?
If that does transpire, then what more could anyone ask of him?
He struggles in finals tournaments though as he can't lift it to the standard required against better teams
Was Lineker not in the team that played San Marino when they scored past us after something like 9 seconds, or something like that? I was only a small boy then when that match was played, so my memory is a bit hazy.
When you look at the greats that Utd and England have had over the years, it's a huge acheivement to finish as top goal scorer for both.
Exactly, I fully agree with you there.
Yes there have been things away from the football pitch which have brought negative headlines, but on the pitch, he has been very good indeed.
And if he does manage to get both of the records, that would really cement his legacy.
I agree. I don't care what a player does outside of the pitch, as long as they do the business on it. So much negative gossip these days.
Build them up to knock them down.
Jimmy Greaves would be out of sight of everyone if he'd played the same number of games as those close to his total.
Don't think that double will be beaten for a while
Top player who could have done with a bit more help
As mentioned above, we'll only miss him and realise how important a role he played until he's retired
If over 100 caps and a 1 in 2 record is so easy why has no one else managed it in the modern era for England?
The truth is the international team is probably at its most disliked and excuses will be made for any achievement an individual attains.
Rooney will probably finish his career with most caps and goals for his country and most goals for his club but will still be looked on as someone who was "good" by many which is in many way completely bizarre.
To score so many goals at club and international level is really hard to do, and it shows just how good he has been for so long.
Until he does it in a finals tournament nothing will change , he only really did it in euro 2004
As for opposition a lot of the Eastern Bloc countries didn't exist untill recently as we still had the USSR, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia and the likes of San Marino, Faroes Islands, Andorra etc have only been in UEFA for around 20 years or so, some less than that, so not only were there less weak countries, there was also less matches as qualifying groups were only 4 teams and not 6 as UEFA increased in size by about 20 countries, plus less matches in finals tournaments as less countries qualified (World Cup was 16 countries untill 82, and European Championships 4 countries till 1976 and 8 countries till 1996.
Might not have played San Marino, but Charlton had his fair share of 'easy' games. He scored 13 goals in matches where England scored 8 or more goals. Rooney has never scored in a match where England managed more than 6 for comparison.
I thought you were a small boy now.
Only mentally according to some people around here it seems! ;-)
Are we pretending for this argument that international football is of a higher standard than club European football?
When you are talking about a player's place in history, international football is infinitely more important than club football. It's simply a fact. George Best is the only exception to that due to his cult status, God-like looks and scandalous lifestyle.
It's hard to believe that this delusion is still ongoing. I mean, has anyone actually been watching international football lately?
So George Weah was a rubbish player as he never even played at a World Cup finals tournament, nevermind score in one!
No its not a fact in any way whatsoever
It's a opinion and one that arguably might have been understandable a very long time ago but totally out of place today.
But it's as far a fact as you could possible get
A mainly good - at times exceptionally so - player, but not a great never mind the greatest IMO.
No. It's an opinion.