Wayne Rooney is saying an international farewell, for the second time. The DC United man is England’s all time record scorer with 53 goals in 119 international appearances, captaining his nation to two major tournaments. It’s an incredible set of statistics and those that not many can replicate. Yet his England career is still dividing opinion. Is he England’s greatest player? Is he England’s best ever striker? Would he be in the all-time England eleven? For a player that has achieved so much and is never doubted at club level, Rooney’s Three Lions career is a taboo topic for most. Questions that will be on fans lips for decades are almost unanswerable. When this is considered, along with Gareth Southgate’s current youthful team, it is a strange decision by the FA to reward Wayne Rooney with a ‘free’ cap. Is Wayne Rooney’s international farewell a deserved testimony or a backwards step for Gareth Southgate?
Wayne Rooney’s International Farewell: Deserved Testimony or Backwards Step?
A Deserved Testimony?
There is no doubt that, looking back, Wayne Rooney deserves a lot of recognition for his career, a stellar one at that. He won all there is for Manchester United and is the holder of dozens of individual and team awards.
Since 2004 and his inclusion in the Euro’s squad, he was a fixed part of England’s teams for over ten years. Only a few times during that decade was his place ever questioned. But why couldn’t Rooney produce the goals and replicate his domestic form in the white of his nation?
Having a set of changing managers that never succeeded in developing a team of promising players Rooney might have over-relied on teammates. He also may have struggled to adapt to being in a team that wouldn’t be the favourite against high-level opposition. Manchester United were dominant throughout the 2000s and England, well, weren’t, to say the least.
If we look at the stats though, we see a hero; a man who has an outstanding goalscoring record; a man that lead England to ten wins out of ten in the lead-up to Euro 2016; a man that scored a stunning winner in the Maracana and has wins over world champions Spain and Germany. Rooney did produce the goods. However, not when it mattered. Despite going to five major tournaments, he would only score one goal in eleven World Cup matches.
Where is David Beckham’s Testimony?
England have had a lot of great players.
Whether Rooney is one of them or not, there has not been a ‘return’ to international football like this before for England. The FA has decided that it is Wayne Rooney, England captain just two years ago, that deserves this the most. Did David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, or even earlier players, Alan Shearer and the heroes from 1998 deserve such recognition?
USA Tribute
The fact is, Rooney is still playing football, unlike these others. The game is against the USA, the country he currently plays in, and the opportunity has arisen. Not only is Rooney playing for DC United but he is also transforming them, seeing them move out of the relegation zone and into the play-off places. His impact, attitude and performances have been phenomenal. They love him in America and, evidently, he is enjoying himself just as much. If there was to be a place and an opponent Rooney could pick to have this game right now, it would be this. We should enjoy it for the spectacle it is and focus on the decision that the game will be played and debate it later.
Football is a business and when there is no Nations League to draw crowds, the FA have turned to advertising. It’s worked already. People are talking about the match, for the good or the bad, it is in the news, attracting attention and selling tickets.
Nobody wants to see the return of meaningless friendlies with a stale atmosphere. The Croatia away match is proof of how football needs fans. They need a team and a set of players they can get behind. Looking at Rooney’s trophy cabinet and gazing inwards onto his life, he can be admired, supported and followed. It is this infectious feeling of being at the one and only, boy wonder, Wayne Rooney’s, final game. At Wembley.
MLS All Stars Game?
There is an MLS All Stars team. This one could be the best in generations as well, now including Zlatan Ibrahmiovic and David Villa. This would give a more charitable and testimonial feeling to the game, especially if organisers were able to get Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Bastien Schweinsteiger, Kaka and Ashley Cole. It would be the equivalent of a SoccerAid match and the attention surrounding Wayne Rooney would benefit everyone.
Undermining Gareth Southgate
An MLS All Stars game would also eliminate any possibility of undermining Gareth Southgate.
It is unlikely that Southgate is a fan of Rooney’s inclusion. It seems a forced move upon the manager. He is now needed to answer awkward questions on the match that he would rather not.
Having built a sensational young team, it seems a step back for Southgate to include a player such as Rooney. Even though he would provide great experience on the training ground for the few days he was present, it isn’t enough in the context to be worth it.
Rooney’s participation also takes away valuable game time from a potential first team player. Someone like Ruben Loftus-Cheek was handed a World Cup place despite not playing much in the warm up matches. Impact from the bench is vital for youth and any experience that Mason Mount, Jadon Sancho or James Maddsion can get is furthering the chances of a place in upcoming matches.
A Good Cause
For all the debate around Rooney and his involvement in this game, it is certainly worth noting that it is devoted to the Wayne Rooney Foundation. The game will be a great fundraising event for the charity. A factor in this game that cannot be overlooked.
However, the FA have confirmed that the gate receipts will not go to charity. This is an unfortunate and strange decision to make about an already controversial topic.
Main Photo
