Did Rooney fulfill his potential?

[DoomSlayer]

I believe the injuries and how Rooney was treated seriously damaged his career in terms of longevity. Both for club and country he's been rushed back either still injured or not fully fit, because managers knew he'd still run through a brick wall for the team. Despite the drastic loss of explosiveness, Rooney still had a few more good seasons and it was also the right time when Mourinho phased him out of the first 11. I would have loved it if Wayne stayed at the club until retirement, but it was in his nature to play football regularly so it was the best time to part ways.

Awesome thread and OP, it almost covers my feelings word for word. Rooney was my childhood football idol and this genuinely made me smile. I never understood the actual hatred parts of our fanbase has for him, the media definitely did their best to sow discord at the club in those "transfer request" situations.

 

[OL29]

My favourite iteration of Rooney was the second half of 10/11. This was when he was at his most complete imo, he showcased all his natural talents but his mentality was elite, scoring big goals in our league run in and out Champions League run. He was playing like a man possessed.

With regards to the question in the OP, he definitely fulfilled his potential, we just had unrealistic expectations of him given how good he was as a teenager, added to the fact that Ronaldo exceeded his perceived potential which reflected poorly for Rooney on some, unfairly.

 

[adexkola]

Maybe. Then again, potential is a funny thing. Who would have had Harry Kane as this top class CF he's become? I thought he was a bit limited when started off. So players do sometimes blow you away with how they improve. Rooney had his work cut out in that regard because he started out as such a phenomenal player. But I always felt that he should have matched somebody like Henry whose name comes first when people think of the PL's greatest. And Rooney's just doesn't, as good as he was.

Potential is a funny thing because it is usually determined by fans based on so little. 10 games at the beginning of one's career is enough for many to say, "his potential is XYZ" but that in my opinion is just a sliver of all the factors that go into determining what exactly is the most a player can achieve with his ability.

I say that all to say that while it is fun to hear what people expect of different players it should matter much less

 

[Jeppers7]

Like it summarized in the video,

He very well did. It's just he is unlucky to have been in the same era as Messi and Ronaldo.

The only difference between Rooney, Ronaldo and Messi is career longevity, whilst the other two stayed at the top for 15 years, Rooney were on top for at least 6-8 years and steadily declined.
Those two never declined, which is an anomaly.

It’s not the only difference....the other two were also much better players

 

[HackeyC]

For six months around 2011 he was the best player in the world for me, but I don't think he fulfilled his potential because he should have remained top 3/4 for much longer.

 

[Jeppers7]

I’m not sure that Rooney had potential. He was a great player at 18. Perhaps that was his potential. Some players, like Ronaldo, have potential to be the best player in the world but have to work and develop aspects to fulfill it. In Rooneys case he never had that potential but he was a great player at 18 up until being around 27/28.

 

[RUCK4444]

It’s not the only difference....the other two were also much better players

This is true, I’m a huge Rooney fan but he was never on Messi or Ronaldo level even at his peak it was a level below that, and there’s no shame in that at all. They are ridiculous.

That said I think for most part he did fulfil his potential but not the longevity within his peak.

Top goal scorer for England and Manchester United is some accolade. He was an absolute boss of the PL, overall one of the best players the PL has ever seen imo.

 

[Bebestation]

Well it's weird because Rooney maybe didnt reach his level of 'hype of potential' that was expected of him as a kid - but then that has been seen more and more recently to be a problem of the media.

Saying that, Do I think Rooney achieved as much as the other British players like Lampard, Gerrard etc of the Golden Generation- then yes I do think he achieved what was expected of him.

Do i think he is better then Harry Kane etc - absolutely. Personally, Rooney was a CL level player to me, career choices at all.

The fact he wasnt a Balon D'or level player wasnt his fault - it was the British media over hyping a great player and quite a consistent player at that.

 

[LilyWhiteSpur]

I don't think he did, but that's just a reflection of how good he was. Can you imagine a player with Rooney's natural talent and say Ronaldo' dedication and fitness. Rooney for me, is the best PL player there has been so far. He carried United at times and probably not a popular thing to say was used to plug holes in the squad, cause he literally could do it all.

 

[LilyWhiteSpur]

Well it's weird because Rooney maybe didnt reach his level of 'hype of potential' that was expected of him as a kid - but then that has been seen more and more recently to be a problem of the media.

Saying that, Do I think Rooney achieved as much as the other British players like Lampard, Gerrard etc of the Golden Generation- then yes I do think he achieved what was expected of him.

Do i think he is better then Harry Kane etc - absolutely. Personally, Rooney was a CL level player to me, career choices at all.

The fact he wasnt a Balon D'or level player wasnt his fault - it was the British media over hyping a great player and quite a consistent player at that.

I'm not a fan of the British rags but that's a stretch, Rooney choose to live life as he did, he made the life choices he did and still managed to be a worldie. There is a little bit of Best in Rooney, I am Northern Irish and for me Best was the best player there has been, obviously biased here, but Best had no one to blame but himself for the way it worked out, sometimes life is just shit.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

Its a difficult question, if you look at the records he broke, trophies he won, and the fact he was a linchpin in some of our greatest ever sides its fair to say he did, could he have been even better or done it for longer had he looked after himself better? Maybe he could, but I'd give my left nut for a player with his drive and fight right now!

 

[Plymouth Red]

Undeniably a great footballer and a goal scorer of the highest order. What I see as one of his biggest achievements, however, was how he avoided getting into some of the trouble that his peers and predecessors did.
Yes, there were many near misses and misdemeanours (grannies beware) but he always managed to stay on the right side of the line. This would not have been easy because he was always open about the risks around him and the tough background he came from.
I agree with others that we desperately need to find another one like him if we are to get back to the top.

 

[Hoboman]

Reached his peak, but didn't fulfill his potential. Was one of the best players for a season or two, should have been for much longer bearing in mind his natural talent.

 

[paulscholes18]

Fulfill his potential, I would say so but unfortunately for him due to injuries and body shape meant that he was finished at the highest level by the age group of 28, rather than still being able to maintain a high level till well into his 30’s like Messi, Ronaldo and Zlatan have, which is obviously why he’s at Darby and not still playing here.

 

[EireRed_GS]

He more than fulfilled it.

He's going down as one of United and England's greatest strikers/players. Unplayable on his day.

He's literally won every single trophy that was possible for him to win. I hope he has the same success in management.

 

[GifLord]

He was at the top for 2-3 years max. Considering how much potential he showed at 19 - The Euro 2004 matches and the white Pele label. Should have done more.

 

[2cents]

He is really unlucky. If we won a major prize in 2009-10 or 2011-12 a lot of people would have said he carried the team. His two best goalscoring seasons happen when we won nothing major. 26 and 27 PL goals in those two seasons.

was outstanding in 2009/10 and 2011/12 seasons when he scored 34 goals both seasons. Up there with the best players for the club in the last 30 years when in top form and was pure leader that hated losing any game.

That 11/12 season was a funny one for him. On paper it looks like his best, and he started it all guns blazing. But I tend to chart his decline from around the middle of that season onward, and even if he was still knocking them in during the run-in 2012 his all round game - especially his basic touch, which was never much of an issue for him before - was becoming a bit average and very inconsistent.

 

[SilentWitness]

Probably not. SAF sacrificed him at times for the benefit of the team and I think that United and Rooney will probably be grateful for that. He still managed to be top goalscorer for club and country and ended up winning a bunch of silverware including the top 2 prizes for an English club - CL and PL.

 

[MattofManchester]

In terms of his own ability, probably not. He sacrificed that for the team.

In terms of his ability relative to others, what's not peak for him is still considered far superior to most players, bar a very, very few, imo.

Rooney, despite being considered an absolute class player , is still quite underrated for his effectiveness and influence on the pitch.

 

[bsCallout]

Yes. Absolutely.

I dont believe he even had a short career. I mean how many players were as good as him at 16/17. He stayed around that level until he was 29.

Thats a good, long career at the top.

He was a level below Ronaldo and Messi that is all.

 

[MancunianAngels]

It's a nuanced conversation.

You could argue that he was our shining light for 2 seasons and then he sacrificed his own game so we could get the most out of Ronaldo.

Then, when Ronaldo left, he was probably one of the best strikers in the world for a few montha until he got injured v Bayern. He was rushed back from that injury and don't think he was ever the same player.

All that being said, he didnt look after himself and his 10/11 season was a major disappointment until the City game which seemed to spark him into life until Van Persie signed when again, his performance and consistency level dropped.

Moyes should have been bolder and maybe moved him on when there was an opportunity to in August 2013.

On a wider point, I get the feeling that he'll become a better player in the eyes of history over the next few years. That record goal tally won't be matched unless Rashford stays fit for the next 10/12 years.

 

[SirMarcusRashford]

His potenital was next L.Ronaldo. Due to lifestyle Rooney was finished at 27/28 (United kept him longer than they should have) and ended being more Adriano than L.Ronaldo.

World class in his day, but no i wouldn't say he fulfilled his potential.

He's one of few players who declined every year that went past. By 24 he couldn't even take a player on, I'd take a 18 year old Wayne Rooney (guy England saw at Euro 2004 and the guy who scored an hattrick against Fenerbahce on his United debut) or a 19/20 year old Wayne Rooney (the guy who scored that angry thunder bolt volley past Newcastle) over a 26-28 year old Wayne Rooney, I'm sure many others would too, if that's the case how can he have fulfilled his potential?

 

[NinjaFletch]

I don't really think that anyone that remembers him as a teenager can hand on heart answer 'yes' to this question.

He had an excellent career, and one most players would die for, but there's a fairly solid chance that within a generation Kane will break his England goalscoring record and finish with more Premier League goals. I'm not convinced there's a huge amount of difference between their all around games, either. The Rooney we saw as a teenager had it all, and I don't think it's unreasonable to think that he had enough talent to become indisputably England's greatest ever.

 

[Ferguson’s Hairdryer]

He was as good as the media made out from 2003-2006.

He was very good from 2007-2010...

From 2011 he was very overrated and nowhere near as good as the media made out, after 2013 he was holding us back more often than not and was a genuine hindrance to club and country.

He’s fulfilled his potential in regards to career. He’s potential ability probably maxed out by 2006. From 2003-2006, probably only Messi has been better than him at that age.

 

[Sandikan]

I think if you were told during Euro 2004 that Rooney was going to go on to be Utd and England's top scorer, and win every club trophy there is to be won in the process multiple times (bar CL & Europa), you'd be surprised if people were still arguing he didn't fulfil his potential after that.

It is quite amazing isn't it.

Maybe if he'd emerged at 22 and played excellently until 32 people wouldn't question him as much.

Or maybe it's a compliment really as when he emerged, especially in Euro 2004 he was a real force of nature and we had every chance of winning that tournament until his injury.

 

[Sandikan]

I don't really think that anyone that remembers him as a teenager can hand on heart answer 'yes' to this question.

He had an excellent career, and one most players would die for, but there's a fairly solid chance that within a generation Kane will break his England goalscoring record and finish with more Premier League goals. I'm not convinced there's a huge amount of difference between their all around games, either. The Rooney we saw as a teenager had it all, and I don't think it's unreasonable to think that he had enough talent to become indisputably England's greatest ever.

Totally different players you're comparing there though.
Rooney got his goal records without being an out and out striker for one thing.

 

[MrBest]

What a silly forum. Of course he reached his potential, he just peaked very early on in his career (24 or 25). He is United and Englands record goal scorers, that is no fluke. Also his temperament was his strength, i think when he was asked to curb it, we lost Rooney. From 18 to 24, what a player. Countless titles, the champions league, heck he won every club trophy.

 

[NinjaFletch]

Totally different players you're comparing there though.
Rooney got his goal records without being an out and out striker for one thing.

I'm not sure I buy 'totally different'. The player Kane is now and the player Rooney became have far more in common than separates them. But I suppose that is part of the enigma of Rooney; how to objectively rate the various stages of a player who burst on to the scene as an explosive player, adjusted to that loss of explosiveness, and played as a 10, a 9 and off the wing for large portions of his career all to a very high standard.

 

[davidmichael]

I’d say Rooney was consistently a top ten in the world player from 2004 to 2012 and at times you could make a great case for him to have definitely be seen as top five or even best of the rest after Messi and Ronaldo.

The problem Rooney had was he was world class at 18 and played at the very highest level pretty much non stop for a decade whilst not looking after himself like Ronaldo or Zlatan or even Messi so burnt out quicker, he’s definitely a legend for both club and country and fulfilled his potential in my opinion but the overblown media hype made it seem he didn’t as was was hyped to be better than he was.

 

[Jeppers7]

This is true, I’m a huge Rooney fan but he was never on Messi or Ronaldo level even at his peak it was a level below that, and there’s no shame in that at all. They are ridiculous.

That said I think for most part he did fulfil his potential but not the longevity within his peak.

Top goal scorer for England and Manchester United is some accolade. He was an absolute boss of the PL, overall one of the best players the PL has ever seen imo.

Agreed. What a player. We didn’t know how lucky we were....Rooney,Ronaldo,Scholes,Giggs,Rio,Evra,Vidic wow.

 

[Jeppers7]

He was as good as the media made out from 2003-2006.

He was very good from 2007-2010...

From 2011 he was very overrated and nowhere near as good as the media made out, after 2013 he was holding us back more often than not and was a genuine hindrance to club and country.

He’s fulfilled his potential in regards to career. He’s potential ability probably maxed out by 2006. From 2003-2006, probably only Messi has been better than him at that age.

So from 2003-2006 he was the second best player in the world? This is the reason this thread exists. The complete overblown hype. He was a great player. There were many more.

 

[Jeppers7]

It's a nuanced conversation.

You could argue that he was our shining light for 2 seasons and then he sacrificed his own game so we could get the most out of Ronaldo.

Then, when Ronaldo left, he was probably one of the best strikers in the world for a few montha until he got injured v Bayern. He was rushed back from that injury and don't think he was ever the same player.

All that being said, he didnt look after himself and his 10/11 season was a major disappointment until the City game which seemed to spark him into life until Van Persie signed when again, his performance and consistency level dropped.

Moyes should have been bolder and maybe moved him on when there was an opportunity to in August 2013.

On a wider point, I get the feeling that he'll become a better player in the eyes of history over the next few years. That record goal tally won't be matched unless Rashford stays fit for the next 10/12 years.

Wow what a martyr

 

[TsuWave]

The only difference between Rooney, Ronaldo and Messi is career longevity,

I don’t think longevity is the only difference. Rooney never reached the peaks those two did. It’s kind of silly to pretend he did.

 

[TsuWave]

It’s not the only difference....the other two were also much better players

Thank you!! Literally just said the same. I don’t know why people want to pretend like longevity is what separates them from Rooney

 

[Tapori]

Like it summarized in the video,

He very well did. It's just he is unlucky to have been in the same era as Messi and Ronaldo.

The only difference between Rooney, Ronaldo and Messi is career longevity, whilst the other two stayed at the top for 15 years, Rooney were on top for at least 6-8 years and steadily declined.
Those two never declined, which is an anomaly.

Aye.
Had Rooney looked after himself in his twenties, he would have been even better.
Let's not talk about the Kirby Salesman Drama.

 

[Tapori]

Thank you!! Literally just said the same. I don’t know why people want to pretend like longevity is what separates them from Rooney

To contradict my last post; yes but with a caveat: Rooney was team wise, more talented than Ronaldo imo but not Messi.
You add Ronaldo's professionalism to Rooney's style and you have a player better than the current Ronaldo.

 

[drunkmonkmeth]

There was a time when rooney was 2nd best player in the world then the 3rd best in my opinion.. the only problem with his career was the longevity. If he had the passion and work ethic of ronaldo and zlatan hed still be a top player even today

 

[Bigbusdutz]

Rooney was awesome and his unselfishness allowed Ronaldo to flourish in the Utd side.

What more could the man have done?

The unfortunate thing for Wayne was his international career with not being fit for the 2 world cups which you could clearly see.

 

[Roane]

Rooney was/is one of those naturally gifted players who wasn't quite right in his outlook.

I have seen many a player of this ilk go onto do very well but can't help but feel that ultimately they didn't fulfill their potential.

I'm thinking likes of Freddie Flintoff who was nauthrally talented and will be seen as a once top played for England. But Freddie himself says had he got the gym bug (which he git after cricket) he would have had an amazing career. He basically boozed his way through his time at England.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is another. I know most will think I'm mad for mentioning him as his figures speak for themselves. However how amazing would his figures have been if he hadn't had his meltdowns? Jimmy white and Alex higgins being another couple of names.

Gazza would be the simple name to throw in here.

Speaking of Gazza I think Rooney signing for UTD actually saved him somewhat and prolonged his career. I dread to think what would have happened to him without SAF.

Even with SAF rooney would be doing certain things he shouldn't have. Someone mentioned grannies earlier but I know from personal experience that Rooney would be ordering fast food, donner kebabs etc during the season. I have pics of him with my brother who delivered to him.

Based on the above I think Rooney was an exceptional player but didn't fulfill his potential as he could have been even better with more care. He was naturally gifted

 

[Kill 'em all]

He's one of the best we've ever had but if he took care of himself and hit the gym like other players of his level, he could have extended his peak and maintained his physical condition for a much longer time. Let's be honest, he started some seasons with us with him having something more similar to a dad bod rather than looking like an athlete.