{"id":286360,"date":"2018-11-13T12:36:09","date_gmt":"2018-11-13T17:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonfootball.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=286360"},"modified":"2022-10-20T15:08:59","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T19:08:59","slug":"wayne-rooney-will-get-a-unique-accolade-at-wembley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2018\/11\/13\/wayne-rooney-will-get-a-unique-accolade-at-wembley\/","title":{"rendered":"Wayne Rooney Will Get a Unique Accolade at Wembley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wayne Rooney<\/a> is England’s record goalscorer and is generally recognized to be the best player of his generation. On the 15th November, he is scheduled to make a guest appearance during the England v USA international\u00a0<\/a>friendly. Despite retiring from international football, he has been allowed a belated farewell performance at what is now billed as the ‘Wayne Rooney<\/a> Foundation International’.<\/p>\n

Wayne Rooney Will Get a Unique Accolade at Wembley<\/h2>\n

Wayne’s World<\/h2>\n

Rooney has featured in 119 England internationals and scored some 53 goals. For a lad from Croxteth in Liverpool who was often shielded from the media in his early days, he has had a stellar sporting career, both for Manchester United<\/a> and his country and, in recent times, as a key player for DC United<\/a> in the MLS. His ability as a schoolboy prodigy through to his 33-year-old skills in the United States point to his undoubted brilliance.<\/p>\n

Boost or Distraction?<\/h2>\n

Since the announcement\u00a0that Rooney will make a return to the England team, ticket sales have been boosted for what would normally be a fairly low-key match. But for some, the thought of ex-all-star cameo appearances belittles the whole event. And it could, to some extent, interfere with Gareth Southgate’s preparations for the Nations League<\/a> game against Croatia that takes place a few days later at the same venue. No other player has been recognized in the same way but times change.<\/p>\n

Cameo Appearance<\/h2>\n

Timing will be a\u00a0factor. In France, it is usual for someone to make a ceremonial kick-off at the start but that would not be enough in this case. And as many fans arrive late, the stadium could be half-full. Similarly, if he comes on too late, many would have left to get their trains home. So perhaps a ten-minute second-half cameo, on, say, 75 minutes, might be the solution. Cynics might wonder if the US team will back-off and let him score for one last time. But almost certainly this will be a unique accolade.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a>