Did Wayne Rooney fulfil his potential?

[Eckers99]

He was so fully formed at such a young age that the improvements in his game have seemed pretty incremental. Also he's doomed to suffer the comparisons with Ronaldo, who has helped to set freakish new benchmarks (alongside Messi) that Rooney just hasn't been able to match. No disgrace there though.

All said, he was absolutely vital to us between 2004 - 2010. Such a dynamic little livewire and the absolute centre of everything good we achieved. Recent years have dimmed those memories a little but he really was brilliant.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Yes and no. I think he made everything of the gifts he had early on in his career to take him to the top early and realise the potential. I think he failed to build on that though. Technically he's never really been that great, he made up for it with physicality and aggression. When he got older and lost that physicality the technical side of his game got increasingly exposed which let him down badly. He realised the potential getting to near the top, but didn't do enough to keep himself there. He was overhyped early on like most young English players which is no fault of his own. He had some great achievements, but he could have been a better player and for longer.

 

[siw2007]

When you say 'fulfil potential', it's an expectation that varies depending on the person you ask. If you think that Rooney fulfilling his potential was supposed to land Rooney alongside the greatest strikers to have played the game, then no he didn't (there were some overly optimistic comparisons with the Brazilian Ronaldo at the time). But if by 'fulfil potential', that meant become a top player, score many goals and win many trophies over a great career, then he definitely did.

Rooney has had a difficult spell over the last 4 years, but people forget how young he was when he started playing. Rooney was a world class player a long time ago, he was pretty much a great player the moment he got his first England cap. But Rooney probably had the best years of his career around the time Ronaldo was at the club and shortly afterwards, he declined thereafter so we probably haven't seen the best of Rooney for a long time.

Personally, I thought Rooney might have won the Ballon D'Or but he never quite reached those heights. Didn't stop him from becoming a world class forward in his younger years and becoming one of England's and United's greatest players.

 

[pcaming]

He has won everything there is to win and contributed a lot towards it, so in a sense yes. However, when you think about what he could have achieved if he didnt fall off in the last 3 or 4 years, it's hard not to be a little dissapointed.

 

[Ødegaard]

Yes would be the better choice here.

Agreed.

 

[LFC-Fans]

Of course he did. He was fantastic. Could he have been better? I don't think so. I think Rooney is his prime was the best he ever could be.

What baffles me is how so many on here don't think he'll ever be regarded as a legend to the club.

That I find weird.

 

[3KDré]

At peak he was amazing, even when he was shifted around to accommodate for others.

 

[GDaly95]

In terms of numbers, yes.
In terms of performances, no.

He declined early, there's no denying that. His fitness levels seemed to diminish and his tenacity became less alongside it, which for me is the most disappointing thing.

Nonetheless, the fact that many (myself included) feel he didn't reach his full potential yet he has still equalled Sir Bobby's record is an incredible achievement and he deserves a lot of credit. I think Ronaldo and Tevez brought out the best in him, Rooney was on fire back then.

 

[Chorley1974]

Definitely not. Watching an 18-20 year old Wayne Rooney you'd believe he was almost guaranteed to be one of the best players in the world. He had the potential to be one of the best players of the last 20 years and certainly one of the best few in Premier League history. However not a single person would have him in all time Premier League squad.

He's had a fantastic career, won every trophy there is, broken records for club and country and earned an absolute fortune in the process. However I do think he might look back in 10 or 20 years and wonder if he was a bit more committed, whether he'd have reached another level.

sums up my feelings in a more eloquent way

 

[Steven7290]

Not for me. His potential when we got him was higher then Ronnie at the time, so I had expected him to at least achieve something close to what Ronaldo has won individually. But as a player in general? His career was stellar, I'd say yes.

 

[mancan92]

He has if you look at numbers or awards. But in terms of actual individual play he has been underwhelming. But he has done well to be at the top level for soo long.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

No.

He's had a great career, won the lot and his stats are great but he never turned into the player he looked capable of being at one point. When he was a teenager it looked like he could become one of the all time icons of world football and he's fallen well short of that.

Plus I mean he's only 31 and yet he's become a squad option after being in decline for a few years. If he'd fulfilled the potential he had he'd still be the main man.

 

[Adisa]

Remember this match like it was yesterday.
Remember thinking after the match that this guy was a game changer. I could have put my house on him going down as one of the best players of his generation.

 

[lem8sh]

An abject failure on the international stage. 1 goal in 3 world cups.

 

[Adisa]

An abject failure on the international stage. 1 goal in 3 world cups.

Not necessarily his fault.

 

[lem8sh]

Not necessarily his fault.

Obviously but his failure at the highest international stage is not in dispute.

 

[Chorley1974]

He has won everything there is to win and contributed a lot towards it, so in a sense yes. However, when you think about what he could have achieved if he didnt fall off in the last 3 or 4 years, it's hard not to be a little dissapointed.

Apart from anything with England.

 

[NextSeason]

You just have to say yes.

I think a lot of people just overrated/hyped his actual potential.

 

[NextSeason]

An abject failure on the international stage. 1 goal in 3 world cups.

Messi not delivered on the international stage either...

 

[Skills]

Between 2008-2011 he did. Shame he didn't single-handedly lead us to a title a la Van Persie or Ronaldo, but has everything else in his club career apart from that. Even there he was unlucky with his injury in 2010

 

[JPRouve]

Messi not delivered on the international stage either...

Except when he did...

 

[lem8sh]

Messi not delivered on the international stage either...

Messi played a huge part in his team getting to a world cup final. Although against inferior opposition his last minute goal to nick 3 points against Iran is something Rooney has never conjured up when it has mattered for England.

 

[mancan92]

You just have to say yes.

I think a lot of people just overrated/hyped his actual potential.

I don't think so. At the time we had him and ronaldo. They were both potentially great players, we see how one went and we see how the other went. I think its very obvious to see rooney has fallen short of what he could have been as an individual. You just have to look at ronaldo to see that.

 

[RedElf]

I'm sure deep down he's had some regrets about his career.

 

[devilish]

The short answer of it is no.

I can forgive a player for being a money grabbing mercenary. Its only fair for them to be that considering that football careers are short. However I can't forgive somebody who doesn't fully fulfill his potential. That's unforgivable

 

[devilish]

I'm sure deep down he's had some regrets about his career.

I doubt it

 

[NextSeason]

Messi played a huge part in his team getting to a world cup final. Although against inferior opposition his last minute goal to nick 3 points against Iran is something Rooney has never conjured up when it has mattered for England.

Rooney's equaliser against Uruguay in 2014 may have been more significant if Gerrard didn't decide to hand them a winner. Guess that's Rooney's fault as well though.

 

[DevilRed]

Great player. Probably one of the best english players ever.

However, he has tarnished his legacy somewhat at this club.

Also, he will ALWAYS be second best to Cristiano Ronaldo. Not on the same level.

 

[lem8sh]

Rooney's equaliser against Uruguay in 2014 may have been more significant if Gerrard didn't decide to hand them a winner. Guess that's Rooney's fault as well though.

How would it be Rooneys fault? Not sure how anyone could deny he was a failure on the interantional stage. The goal you mention is his only one in a World Cup.

 

[Revan]

Not for me. His potential when we got him was higher then Ronnie at the time, so I had expected him to at least achieve something close to what Ronaldo has won individually. But as a player in general? His career was stellar, I'd say yes.

I think we misjudged their potentials. There is absolutely no way that Rooney could have become as good as Cristiano. He could have trained all day long, become a monk and eat just broccoli and still wouldn't be as good as Ronaldo.

But, I think that he could have become a bit better than he has been, and at his peak maybe reach Suarez/Ibra level. What is very probable though, is that his peak would have lasted longer if he would have taken care of himself better. And having had a better Rooney in the last couple of years would have made some difference. I mean, even a Rooney that is not at his peak (lets say the 2012-2013 version) would have likely send us near Chelsea's level this season.

 

[Minimalist]

He didn't become what he was supposed to be and his lack of care for himself is likely a huge part of that but he's still been a massive star for club and country, while winning trophies some players would give their left nut for.

 

[NextSeason]

How would it be Rooneys fault? Not sure how anyone could deny he was a failure on the interantional stage. The goal you mention is his only one in a World Cup.

I just find it silly to judge a player on the performance of his national team, especially when he retires as the country's leading scorer.

I guess you must look down on other greats than never won or got close to winning international tournaments.

 

[Drifter]

No

 

[sullydnl]

The question of how well we judged his potential at the time is interesting. It might be that those of us who expected him to become (roughly) the best player in the world were wrong to do so. Or, it might be that those who say he never had that level of ability are reassessing his potential in light of the player he came to be.

 

[donkeyfish]

Difficult to say what his potential really is/was. He declined faster than many other players, but it is not obvious whether he had the possibility to change that. He has played 700+ matches, which is more than most other footballers. Is it obvious that players decline solely with age, or is it also a matter of how many matches you play? I suspect it is both.

There are difference between how much exercise a person can handle, with several hundred hours a year difference between professional athletes. Perhaps he could've been more professional, perhaps he never had the capacity to maintain his level into his thirties.

Safe to say he has been a great player for United, winning everything along the way.

 

[lem8sh]

I just find it silly to judge a player on the performance of his national team, especially when he retires as the country's leading scorer.

I guess you must look down on other greats than never won or got close to winning international tournaments.

Not at all, mainly because most greats from the lesser nations have carried their national sides to famous results at one time or another and tended to perform at a high level consistently for their country. Judging Rooney on his international performances is perfectly relevant considering how he exploded onto the scene in 2004.
You would struggle to name any occasion when Rooney carried England to victory after 2004, which is a factor when forming an opinion on whether he fulfilled his potential or not.

 

[Revan]

The question of how well we judged his potential at the time is interesting. It might be that those of us who expected him to become (roughly) the best player in the world were wrong to do so. Or, it might be that those who say he never had that level of ability are reassessing his potential in light of the player he came to be.

Probably a bit mixed. I think that he had the potential to become the best player in the world, if Messi and Ronaldo didn't existed (didn't become as good, and lets be fair, none expected Ronaldo to become as good as he became).

Essentially, Rooney wouldn't win a Ballon D'Or even if Messi/Ronaldo weren't this good. But he probably had the potential to win it if Messi/Ronaldo didn't monopolize the award. Essentially, Rooney probably had the potential to become the third player in the world, something that he never achieved.

 

[r3idy]

In terms of trophy haul, then yes he has fulfilled his potential. Some of the young players around England and Europe who have been touted as the next Wayne Rooney will be over the moon if they take home a 10th of Rooney's trophy, medal haul. Some of my old mates are Everton fans and they always said that when Barclay broke onto the scene that he was the better talent at that age than Rooney. If the likes of Barclay, Draxler etc etc go onto win anywhere close to Rooney then they are doing well.

That said he is coming to the end of his top flight career. It's easy to say well he doesn't run around harrasing and harranging defenders like he did ten years ago. Well of course he wont do, does that mean he is any less of a player ? Of course not. Much in the same way as Giggs, Scholes, Rio had to adapt their game as they grew older. Personally I think Rooney peaked at around 27 and we have seen his physical decline since then.

 

[Oaencha]

He has had an impressive career but definitely hasn't lived up to his potential. He was never going to be 'Messi' special but looked like he would be consistently top 3-4 in the world. Instead he didn't take care of his body, peaked at 25/26 years old and has been embarassingly poor since SAF left.

 

[UnofficialDevil]

Yes obviously! He is Manchester United's all time top scorer. And a legend.