Who was the better signing?
Think most will say Roon but some may surprise
Think most will say Roon but some may surprise
Rooney Vs Rio
- Thread starter rcoobc
- Start date
Rio
I'll play along. Is this my first pick starting a team or do I have a complete team and I am adding one?
First pick = Rooney
Adding to a team? Oi, not sure I can flat out pick Rooney without knowing the rest of the names.
First pick = Rooney
Adding to a team? Oi, not sure I can flat out pick Rooney without knowing the rest of the names.
Rio
Rooney. Both generational signings though.
Rio.
Or put it another way-who would come out on top if they faced each other in a real game- both at their peak?
Would love to see it!
Would love to see it!
Rooney. Did way more but his last few years have clouded people's memories.
Rio was class don't get me wrong but Rooney was the game changer.
Rio was class don't get me wrong but Rooney was the game changer.
Rooney... as great as Rio was and I’d argue that he’s the greatest defender that has played for United, 06-13 doesn’t happen without Wayne.
Rio
Rio
Rio
Rooney. We always seemed to struggle when he was missing. We could often get by without Rio, in fact if I remember correctly, in our record making 08/09 defensive run, Rio missed a fair few matches.
Rio
It’s tough to decide who was the better player as both were world class but in terms of who was the better signing I’d say Rooney. Our record goalscorer and the face of United for a decade.
I love Rooney, he'll go down as one of our greatest ever players and rightly so, but if you asked all the posters on the caf to name their all time starting XI I guarantee that Rio would be in more of them than Wayne.
Rio comfortably.
That's an unfair choice.
If I'm forced I'll go for Rooney though.
If I'm forced I'll go for Rooney though.
Rooney.
Rio is possibly my favourite player ever, he was a Rolls Royce of a defender but he had the exceptional mentality that was common in our side at that time. This is a great video from a few years back with him giving advice to England u16, a side that featured Sancho, Foden, Sessegnon, Oliver Skipp is there too looking quite ill and frail. I think he'd be a great coach on the motivation side of things.
Rooney was a great player too, although a slight disappointment given his potential. It seems he has some personal demons that affect him and there's a possible drinking problem there.
I think Rio was more consistent over the years but Rooney had higher peaks but lower troughs.
Rooney was a great player too, although a slight disappointment given his potential. It seems he has some personal demons that affect him and there's a possible drinking problem there.
I think Rio was more consistent over the years but Rooney had higher peaks but lower troughs.
Both were class but I think finding a top class defender is more difficult so I will go with Rio.
Rio. I think he was the best defender in the world at one point.
Rio was absolutely the best defender in the world for a period
Rooney was box office though, produced so many magic moments. Peak Rooney was a fckin wrecking ball
Some great business by the club those two
Rooney was box office though, produced so many magic moments. Peak Rooney was a fckin wrecking ball
Some great business by the club those two
Disappointment? Man United and England record goal scorer, 2nd top scorer in PL history. Catalyst in many league title wins.
Main reason we got to 2 of the 3 CL finals he appeared in.
Yeah because George Best isn’t United’s best ever player because he had drinking problems?
Rio, no contest.
Not belittling Rooney in any way, it's just that Rio was the BEST defender in the world at his peak. Rooney, while fecking good, was never the top dog.
Not belittling Rooney in any way, it's just that Rio was the BEST defender in the world at his peak. Rooney, while fecking good, was never the top dog.
Rio.
Rooney.
Rooney.
Both world class players. Rooney was garbage for 3 years and Rio missed some crucial months that denied us a trophy in 2004. He was essential then. In the end their peak was more or less the same years. Rooney was a beast until 2012, Rio the same (when not injured). Rooney stayed few more years but signed later. BUT let's say it is 2007 or 2008. We receive a huge bid for Rooney. Who could replace him and at what cost? On the other hand If we had received a bid for Rio, no matter how great he was, we did have his backup in Pique, for free too. So Rooney for me just because he was indeed (almost) irreplaceable. He was dreadful for almost 3 years though.
Rooney could have had a better career and been a better player in my opinion. He could have achieved more but his mentality wasn't at the level of someone like Ronaldo. Best could have legit been one of the greatest ever but wasted his talent. He isn't United's greatest ever player on any other basis than a romantic one either.
Rooney easily.
Many people are of the opinion that Vidic was better than Rio at his peak, same with Stam.
Rooney was the best CF in the world at one time, at his best he was better than both RVN and RVP at their best.
Many people are of the opinion that Vidic was better than Rio at his peak, same with Stam.
Rooney was the best CF in the world at one time, at his best he was better than both RVN and RVP at their best.
Both great signings, but would have to go with our all time top goalscorer.
Ronaldo is a freak though, Rooney achieved more than most could dream of, at his peak he was unstoppable.
Just because he didn’t achieve what Ronaldo did, doesn’t mean he underachieved. You might as well say every player bar Messi, Pele and Maradona under achieved then.
I said best regarding George Best, Charlton was the greatest.
I would say Rio but it's very, very close. Both were phenomenal at their peaks, but Rio was a key figure in one of the best defences ever (VDS, Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Neville/Brown), you could argue that in 2007/08 if you took out Rooney we still had a lot of firepower in Ronaldo, Tevez and Saha, not to mention Giggs and Scholes. Rooney did carry us at times though - 2009/10 and 2011/12 he plundered loads of goals when the rest of our front men struggled. He also played great with a myriad of different partners - RVN, Saha, Tevez, Berbatov, Chicharito, Welbeck (they were great together in 2011/12) and RVP. He did tail off significantly but from his teens to mid twenties he was up there as one of the best strikers in the world.
This is very underrated, people like him and Evra were just as tough as Vidic but are seen as softer due to their media stuff (Rio's #5 and Evra's 'I love this game!'). Would absolutely love a player like that in the dressing room now. I see potential in McTominay and Lindelof, and by all accounts Pogba is a great leader too, but our 2007/08 team is up there with the greatest ever.
Rooney's issue was professional indiscipline though: drink, cigarettes, food and prostitutes, to a degree he has a self destructive streak and I think it cost his career achievements. I mean if you're going to apply a deterministic reality to it then he maxed out. It depends if you think he had an control over those issues. Same for Best. People like to romanticise him but he wasted his talent in my opinion.
Yeah, you can see it with Evra too when he talks seriously about his time at United. Rio, Evra and Vida were the bedrock of our defence in United's most successful ever period. They were all completely on point psychologically, all totally driven and fearless. It was all about standards too, failure was not accepted.
Rooney. Gets tons of stick on here but he played all of his best years at United and was a pretty good player.
Rio was a fantastic signing too though. Best defender I've seen play for us....and there's some pretty stiff competition. You could put someone average next to him and he'd still make your back four look world class.
Goalscorers will always trump defenders though.
Rio was a fantastic signing too though. Best defender I've seen play for us....and there's some pretty stiff competition. You could put someone average next to him and he'd still make your back four look world class.
Goalscorers will always trump defenders though.
Those who like blood and guts think Vidoc was better, he wasn’t but he complimented Rio and vice versa. The perfect partnership.
Rooney was never the best cf in the world. He had only one season where you could argue that, RVPs first season eclipsed anything Rooney did individually. His peak was better.
Rooney.
I love and hate looking back at that time, love how good we were and hate how we compare now
Wish Ronaldo hadn't been dreaming of Madrid