Rooney vs Solkjaer - Who's the biggest club legend?

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It is even stupid to even compare both these players. One is a regular sub for United who scored a winner in the CL Final while the other has been involved in the most successful period of the club and scored the most number of goals for club and country. In this case Forlan is a bigger legend than Giggs because he scored two goals against Liverpool and he played for a few minutes without his shirt.
It’s a strange comparison the OP has made. But you have been incredibly dismissive of OGS here and he deserves more respect for what he achieved as a player.
 

Zen86

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Such a pointless question, and a pointless thread. Another veiled dig at Solskjær no doubt.
 

Foxbatt

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It’s a strange comparison the OP has made. But you have been incredibly dismissive of OGS here and he deserves more respect for what he achieved as a player.
He scored the winner in the CL and that also the fact he is the Manager is what is driving the agenda. I am not dismissive of him as a player but to compare to one of the greatest players ever to play at OT to someone who never got to be a regular player is not being dismissive to Ole but the OP is being dismissive to Rooney. I will be eternally grateful for Ole for scoring that goal but at the same time I will be eternally grateful for Teddy for turning that shot inside the post for the equaliser and winning that header and putting in at the right place for Ole to score the winner too.
 

elmo

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What romance is there to Keane story? I loved Keane and he was an instrumental awesome player for us, so was Rooney though so where’s the difference in that?

rooney is our all time leading goal scorer over taking the true club legends record and by doing so helped us towards multiple league wins and a champions league. This is obviously a legends story.
peoole believe the papers too much and once they hear a little snippet of something run with it
People always forget how much Rooney sacrificed in his game for the better of the team. He would probably have more personal accolades if he insisted the team to be build around him much earlier in his career but he didn't and wound up playing basically all over the pitch wherever the team needed him the most.

Ole obviously had the glorious moment with that goal, but career wise, they're not even close in how important Rooney was to us.
 

Jerch

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Came into a thread to defend Rooney and found out after first 10 posts that surprisingly there is still some sanity on this forum.
 

Kag

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Well, it really does depend what you personally prioritise in the assessment of ‘legend’. It’s quite a silly thing to identify, to be frank.

Anyway, for me it’s Ole. I don’t reflect on Rooney’s time at the club and feel any sort of anything. Lots of goals in lots of games. But that’s it. I reflect on Ole’s time at the club a lot more fondly. I mean, he did score the best goal in the club’s history. It doesn’t get any more soppy than that.

Rooney was the better player. Obviously.
 

mu4c_20le

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Such a pointless question, and a pointless thread. Another veiled dig at Solskjær no doubt.
It may well be, since Rooney is widely considered to be the greatest club legend of the modern era, but all it does is highlight the importance of Solskjaer's contributions when placed under a microscope. Even more impressive when you look at his numbers considering most of his United career was off the bench and how Rooney is the more talented of the two.

Rooney didn't have the possibility to put United on the map globally as they were already on the map when he joined.
He did have a much bigger status in world football though.
It's not easy comparing two people from different generations, as they can only work with what they've got. I'd argue that without Ole's goals and the treble, we may not even have signed Rooney. We were not the only big dogs in the country, but Ole ensured we were the top dogs at the time.
 

Black Adder

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Ole is the bigger legend. He ended our period in the European wilderness and made us a top echelon club again with that goal.
Going by that logic Sherigham is bigger legend than both Rooney and Solskjaer, since he both scored and assisted in most important match in newer United history.
 

Dr. Dwayne

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Going by that logic Sherigham is bigger legend than both Rooney and Solskjaer, since he both scored and assisted in most important match in newer United history.
Only if you take a ridiculously narrow view that doesn't consider multiple criteria when determining legend status.
 

NinjaZombie

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If Ole wins the league title with us as a manager, I'd be tempted to say he's the bigger legend.

As it stands, Rooney probably shades it. His last years at the club at the club removes a bit of the gloss though.
 

Zen86

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It may well be, since Rooney is widely considered to be the greatest club legend of the modern era, but all it does is highlight the importance of Solskjaer's contributions when placed under a microscope. Even more impressive when you look at his numbers considering most of his United career was off the bench and how Rooney is the more talented of the two.
True, the whole premise is just a bit ridiculous though. Let’s start some thread comparing him against Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton while we’re at it.
 

Focusmate

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Club legend gets thrown about way too easily.
Ole is and was very well liked and scored that goal, but was essentially a squad player or impact sub. Not a club legend.
A club legend is someone like Bryan Robson or Bobby Charlton or some of the class of 92.
Rooney has been one if Uniteds best players of the last 30 years - should be a legend. I think he is just not as popular as he should be though. Probably the contract brinkmanship, the fact he should have left a couple of years before he did and maybe even his being an Everton fan fromLiverpool make him less popular than he should be.
 

Foxbatt

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True, the whole premise is just a bit ridiculous though. Let’s start some thread comparing him against Matt Busby and Bobby Charlton while we’re at it.
You can't because Sir Matt never played for Manchester United. Rooney never managed Manchester United.
Sir Matt played for Liverpool.
 

Eckers99

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Club legends are not just decided by who was the better player and how many goals they scored. There's something intangible and emotional involved that some of you just don't get. A legend has to spend their best days at the club, show total dedication to us, do something vital (preferably in big games or against Liverpool) and have a genuine bond with the fans. You can usually gauge it by how often or passionately their name is sung after they've retired. The fans were singing about Ole long after he retired. Less so Rooney, despite the stats.

It's not just a case of Rooney being our top goalscorer and, if you state that as the be all and end all, the chances are you don't go to many matches.
 

Jaqen H'ghar

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Club legends are not just decided by who was the better player and how many goals they scored. There's something intangible and emotional involved that some of you just don't get. A legend has to spend their best days at the club, show total dedication to us, do something vital (preferably in big games or against Liverpool) and have a genuine bond with the fans. You can usually gauge it by how often or passionately their name is sung after they've retired. The fans were singing about Ole long after he retired. Less so Rooney, despite the stats.

It's not just a case of Rooney being our top goalscorer and, if you state that as the be all and end all, the chances are you don't go to many matches.
Well said.
 

Revan

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Cantona or Hernandez?

Ronaldo or Park?

Giggs or Valencia?

Evra or Shaw?

Ferdinand or Smalling?
 

Djemba-Djemba

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Club legends are not just decided by who was the better player and how many goals they scored. There's something intangible and emotional involved that some of you just don't get. A legend has to spend their best days at the club, show total dedication to us, do something vital (preferably in big games or against Liverpool) and have a genuine bond with the fans. You can usually gauge it by how often or passionately their name is sung after they've retired. The fans were singing about Ole long after he retired. Less so Rooney, despite the stats.

It's not just a case of Rooney being our top goalscorer and, if you state that as the be all and end all, the chances are you don't go to many matches.
Exactly this.

I certainly have a lot more fondness towards Ole than I do Rooney.
 

Tom Cato

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If your banner hangs in the stands at Old Trafford, that seals the debate doesn't it?. I'll admit to being slightly disappointed that no one appears to read my original post that offers some nuance to this discussion.
 

Jim Beam

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Club legends are not just decided by who was the better player and how many goals they scored. There's something intangible and emotional involved that some of you just don't get. A legend has to spend their best days at the club, show total dedication to us, do something vital (preferably in big games or against Liverpool) and have a genuine bond with the fans. You can usually gauge it by how often or passionately their name is sung after they've retired. The fans were singing about Ole long after he retired. Less so Rooney, despite the stats.
And we have a winner.
 

El Jefe

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Club legends are not just decided by who was the better player and how many goals they scored. There's something intangible and emotional involved that some of you just don't get. A legend has to spend their best days at the club, show total dedication to us, do something vital (preferably in big games or against Liverpool) and have a genuine bond with the fans. You can usually gauge it by how often or passionately their name is sung after they've retired. The fans were singing about Ole long after he retired. Less so Rooney, despite the stats.

It's not just a case of Rooney being our top goalscorer and, if you state that as the be all and end all, the chances are you don't go to many matches.
I don't see how some don't get this. Rooney has all the stats but as far as our top tier legends go he's probably the least revered.
 

Foxbatt

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I really don't understand why it's Ole vs Rooney? If it's Ole vs Yorke, RVN, Cole or even Beckham I may understand. But the man who has scored the most number of goals for the club and won everything to win is not a legend, then I don't know what a legend is. Or compare him to the player who scored the injury time winner in our most surprising and unexpected cl win is simply not worth comparing. Yes Ole is a legend for scoring that goal. But sensibly he can't be compared to Rooney.
 

JPRouve

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I would describe Solskjaer as a cult hero while Rooney will be a legend because he was not only a great player for United but also a record holder.
 

Greck

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Find that a few fans can't seem to recall what happened at United before 2013ish. This one is Rooney by a landslide. The question wouldn't even be entertained if not for the LVG years being the last people remember of him
 

Idxomer

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While Ole has "that moment" and a couple of others like the one against Liverpool in the same season, Rooney has many more moments with a different context that showed what a player he was and just leaves you with your mouth open and every United fan that followed his time here recognizes them.

Personally, I prefer the type of legend Rooney is and remember him more fondly, especially with the unpredictability in not knowing what he would do next on the pitch. Overall, he's also the bigger legend and had much bigger influence in increasing United popularity the last 15 years.
 

Greck

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I don't see how some don't get this. Rooney has all the stats but as far as our top tier legends go he's probably the least revered.
Think you're assuming people who answered in favour of Rooney didn't also take that into account. Even with his shortcomings Rooney is still the bigger legend. He was our talisman for a decade. When Ronaldo left he carried the team. He's the only player who had a mob show up at his door to threaten him to re-sign a contract with us.
 

drmuji

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Do you not see the contradiction and double standard in one of your definitions?!
They are two completely different statements. He was well past his best and he still got picked based on his past performances.
Ole called time on his career once injuries started bothering him. I remember, he was used on right wing when David Beckham was injured and he gave all. Once his legs started giving up, he just called time