When Wayne Rooney hits 50 England goals you hardly expect the English faithful to get overexcited. A warm round of applause and reluctant praise seemed the most many cynics could muster, yet this milestone is the most elusive any player could ever aspire to reach. Just why is it that England fans seem so fearful of happiness of any depths when it comes to their players and their achievements?
Well for a start, ‘achievements’ isn’t a word synonymous with the England side as of late, nor is it a plural. England underwhelmed in Brazil, then breezed through a qualification group, which was of course “the easiest group ever”; the European Championship now awaits, where England will “obviously lose in the quarter-final.” In truth, this cynicism almost feels part of the culture. It has been ingrained deeply with every disappointment England have endured. After all, what’s the point of getting your hopes up only to be disappointed again?
There is some point to wanting a change, whether it be in the way games are approached or the belief that England can truly be a force in competitive tournaments. The problem for England is that they simply don’t have any genuine world class players yet. A glance at the Welsh side and you see Gareth Bale, certainly world class and certainly an impact on the fortune of the side. However, you do also see a solid spine to the team in the likes of Ashley Williams and Aaron Ramsey. England are still searching for their spine. The new generation is still far finding its beating heart,. Rooney is one of the few who remains from an older era but is a reminder of what determination and skill can achieve. It’s therefore important to be realistic in expectations and accept that the development of players is a long process but one that can be fruitful in the end.
Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane will certainly be the players with a fair share of scrutiny coming their way going into Euro 2016. Kane, now predictably and regrettably being dubbed a ‘one season wonder’ and Rooney harshly and somewhat untruly being labelled ‘past it’ are what we set our hopes on. There’s half the problem. Two exceptionally talented players who for club have struggled early on in the season and for country merely done what is to be expected. It’s very difficult for either to win.
What’s more, the unequivocal truth is that both players have the ability to be incredibly competitive at Euro 2016. Unfortunately, it seems half the battle these days for players is rising above the media’s and the public’s expectations. Fair enough, this is part of being a high-profile athlete; being susceptible to criticism is now seemingly ‘part of the job’. And yes, fair enough, Rooney and Kane have both made slow starts domestically. But other than that, there seems to be no real justification for a constant barrage of doubt when it comes to the capabilities of the England forward line.
Those who saw the magnitude of Rooney’s achievements were unsurprisingly fellow players, past and present. Gary Lineker, whom Rooney overtook on his way, Ian Wright, Alan Shearer and of course the majority of Rooney’s current England team-mates. There is a key difference between these set of individuals and those who have never kicked a ball professionally. They know just how difficult it is to do.
San Marino may have been Rooney’s opponents on more than one occasion, he may have had a questionable record in major tournaments, he may even have had to convert his 50th from the penalty spot ‘again’, but his prolonged habit of scoring could not be matched by anyone else, ever.
Direct comparisons with Sir Bobby Charlton seem to cause people particular distress. The key difference obviously being the World Cup victory, something Rooney has extremely limited time to replicate in his career. Comparison between the two is futile in truth. The fact Rooney has overtaken Sir Bobby Charlton on goals certainly does nothing to remove the legendary status associated with Sir Bobby, nor does it in anyway lessen his achievements for his country. For Rooney, overtaking such an icon only serves to enhance his sense of achievement and show the calibre of player you have to be to achieve such a feat. There’s no real reason to make unnecessary comparisons overshadow and undervalue what Rooney has done.
There was an incredibly poignant moment that coincided with Rooney slotting away his 50th goal. San Marino, who England had recently beaten 6-0, managed their first away goal for 14 years. The scenes when they scored it were as if they had won the entire tournament, as to them it will have been groundbreaking and an accomplishment a generation has been waiting for.
Now of course, there’s a different level of expectation surrounding the England side, but when Wayne Rooney manages 50 goals as an individual player people could at least manage some genuine and unanimous praise. Perhaps it’s too much to ask for, but there is, for once, nothing overly negative to talk about. Rooney and Kane both scored, England won both games and kept clean sheets and most importantly there was a significant piece of history to go with it. There’s room for improvement, indeed there always will be, but for once let’s try our best to focus on the positives and a remarkable individual achievement for Wayne Rooney.
