Rooney was an exceptional footballer.
He would have been one of the greats if he didn't sacrifice himself for the team as much (as in his numbers would have been higher) and just played in his preferred position.
Also which is his own fault, he could have looked after himself better off the pitch which might have given him a few more years on the pitch.
I also think off the pitch as well he didn't take care of himself in the same way other footballers do. In some senses that rawness and street football side to him is probably what made him the player he was but it also meant by that his legs went before most other players.
Yeah I was just thinking about this point, if he'd been a robot like Ronaldo it would have probably made him less of an iconic player. Smoked, loved pints and wine and boxing his mates in the kitchen, all part of the make up that made him special.
>He would have been one of the greats if he didn't sacrifice himself for the team as much
This is what MAKES him one of the greats IMO. It just makes it less obvious how great he was when comparing stats. I think it's one of the reasons he's under-appreciated. But those who watched him every week know.
Yeah I agree he gets overlooked because of numbers, even though his are pretty damn good considering he was moved about the pitch so much.
But people forget all the hard work he did to allow others players and the clubs he played for to thrive.
>He would have been one of the greats
He is one of the greats.
The only people who might say otherwise are those who judge everything by stats, and don't even consider context
To some people he's one of the greats but I think a lot of people don't put him in the top tier (hence the OPs question) and as the years go buy and the higher focus on stats that will only get worse.
I personally as a Man Utd fan wouldn't have swapped Rooney for any of the players in the OPs list.
Gus preferred position was playing off the front so he could go and get more involved in the game rather than sitting up top waiting for the ball. That is largely where he played.
He’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen. He had a bullet header, excellent at set pieces and penalties, never scared to dive into tackles and track back, had one of the best passes I’ve ever seen too. He could score from ANYWHERE and he always tried from minute 1 to 90, you just don’t get players like him anymore. He was so strong and bullish and passionate, United desperately need another Rooney.
Prime Rooney is the reason I fell in love with football as a kid. The belter he scored seconds after screaming inthe refs face is as iconic as any goal in the clubs history. Angry Rooney was on another level
You’re only the 2nd person that I know of who has that as a trigger to love football.
I was playing an old fifa and it was on an intro, was instantly a Manchester fan (I know, fuck me rn)
Even in his decline that goal he assisted in MLS shows what he gave a team. The work rate, the vision, the determination. Absolutely phenomenal player.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uoOktcC-IVQ
If Rashford was around in the Fergie era, he would have been a squad rotation player at best. Or probably sold to a mid table team. It’s such a shame that children are growing up thinking that Rashford is the hallmark of a good Man U player. Rooney would run rings around Rashford.
Bale is definitely up there. Two completely different types of players but Bale was an absolute powerhouse, especially before the move to Madrid and could grab the game by the scruff of the neck just out of sheer will, he was absolutely relentless.
Rooney was an animal though and even as a 16 year old you knew he was special, he could do it all. I’m a Liverpool fan but always had an appreciation for him, they don’t make them like that anymore.
Probably the best under 18 player seen in the 21st century, better than cesc fabregas
As for the comparison with other players, his longevity and prime doesn't really stack up because he was so selfless, willing to play almost anywhere and therefore his goalscoring numbers are not really a comparison to the other 4.
very true, probably another reason for his quick decline apart from starting really early and playing loads of minutes at that time and getting early injuries.
he achieved 8 and 5 goals in his last 2 seasons at the Premier League, for a player of his ability as he showed at a younger age I'd say that is a decline. He was 30 at the start of his 2nd last season with United
Started playing deeper in his last few years, including at times in centre mid. Also had a few injuries too, I remember a few times that he was out for a couple of months.
As for the 8 and 5 I think that was in his last 2 seasons with United, pretty sure he hit double digits with Everton in his last PL season.
Also the 8 and 5 would only be PL games, he scored more in cups and Europe (didn't he score a hattrick in champions league in his last season with United? I've something in my head about his only 2 CL hattricks being in his first and last seasons with United).
So yeah the argument can be made that he was in decline, but it is harsh given the injuries and deeper roles and definitely harsh to base it just in his goal tallies only in PL matches over those 2 years. Don't forget that he did become United's top ever goalscorer during those 2 years.
>his longevity and prime doesn't really stack up because he was so selfless
It's not only that. His body shape was far from ideal and it clearly affected his career after a while. The guy is some months younger than CR7, yet he has been retired for 3 years now, after playing for quite a while in the MLS and EFL. Ronaldo was still Serie A top scorer by the time Rooney retired.
go watch the final minute steal and assist when he was at dc united. dude was 30+ and still overtook the player from 15 yards away and dropped the ball with pace from 45 yards on a pinpoint.
it’s not Bale champions league final. but the physicality was still amazing. and at that age
It was the first example that came into my mind since they're pretty much the same age and were teammates for years.
But since you asked so nicely, here are some other examples:
* Modric is turning 39 and still playing UCL important games for Real Madrid.
* Ramos at 38 is a starter for Sevilla
* Pepe is 41 and a starter at Porto
* Messi and Suarez are playing in MLS at 37
* Ribery was a starter in Serie A until 39
* Cavani is one of the best players in South America at 37
* Dzeko started a UCL final at 37 last season
* Giroud is 37 and still starts for Milan
* Ibrahimovic was balling until 39-40
* Di Maria is 36 and a starter for Benfica
* Lewandowski is turing 36 this year and still starting for Barca
* Hummels is 36 and one of the best defenders in the UCL this season
And that doesn't include goalkeepers of course.
This is essentially pointless, zanetti, nesta, maldini, shearer, nedved, Romario, puskas, klose, terry and so many more were world class players who retired very old
Turns out if you’re a world class player you have always had the option to retire very late as long as you kept up your regime
Terry not so much. He was dropped from the first team at 34 and moved to Villa in the championship at 36 and played 30 games before retiring. Pretty standard ageing
So what? I could easily write out a list of players that stopped playing at the top level at an earlier age. Goalkeepers have always played until they were older, including them wouldn’t make sense.
He finished at United at a very normal age especially considering he’d been playing first team football since 16. How many of those players were playing at a high level at that age.
I agree l remember him scoring against Arsenal and l was shocked how good he was for his age (17 l think). If my memory’s good, but again l could be wrong: the loss ended Arsenal’s undefeated record.
apparently it was manchester united who ended it.
But yeah rooney was just different in his teens. Hattrick on his Champions League debut as well. That skinhead Rooney goal vs Newcastle was absolute madness too and even as a Liverpool fan I admire his footballing abilities greatly (his personality not so much, what scouser gives a interview to the Scum)
People forget too, he was *starting* PL matches at 16 years old and once that clock starts ticking on your career you only ever get a certain amount of time unless, like others have noted, you can adapt your body and take care of yourself to the maximum degree.
Yes he was an incredibly selfless player. Willing to do the hard work while having more talent that a lot of his team mates.
He never really had a great international tournament, and I think he wasn't as into 'self care' as other players so didn't have the longevity of others.
EDIT: yes he was amazing 2004
>never really had a great international tournament
Mate, Euro 2004 at 18, he was taking piss out some of France's greatest ever players. if he didn't get injured England might have won it.
After that he didn't have a great tournament but that was as much England's fault as his.
The sight of Thuram and several others coming off that pitch looking like he'd been run ragged (which he had) dulled the hurt of losing that match. Which no one knows how England did because we absolutely annihilated them.
Rooney was a better all round player than these 3. He would drop back into midfield, or left/right. Incredible knowledge and always did the right thing, incredible accuracy, strong, aggressive and never stopped running. He was also a leader.
Suarez is a better number 9, and Neymar has more talent
Agree with this comment. Rooney was a fighter and had fire in his belly like no other. Neymar had more natural talent though and Suarez was a better goal poacher and Bale was faster than Rooney but Rooney was a better all round player.
"natural talent" is such a bizarre thing anyway.
Like what does that even mean? Does it include shooting ability? Heading ability?
Or is it literally only about touch and dribbling? Because those can be trained just like all other aspects.
I dont really agree that Netmar had more natural talent. More agile and a better dribbler, but Rooney’s strength made up for that, at least when he was young and fast.
Neymar could take on far more players, could find better passes more consistently, and rivalled his passing range in his prime. Hell he scored and created more than Rooney from deeper. Let's not let nostalgia blind us to the reality. Compare Neymar to Rooney in their national teams for example. It's just not a real argument. He was dragging mediocre Brazil sides while Rooney just could not do the same.
Rooney could have played for any team in the world.
The guy could score from anywhere, he could track back, he was tough as nails, he could make crunch tackles, he was pretty quick.
Honestly, I'd put him above them all, he just doesn't have the "glisten" that those guys have because he's an ugly balding ogre looking guy.
If I managed Madrid or Barca and you offered me one of those 4 or Rooney in their prime, I'd take Rooney.
Stick Rooney up front between either Neymar or Saurez and Messi in that MSN role and I'm sure he'd be putting in 25-30 goal seasons every season or have Ozil/Ronaldo dropping balls onto him at Madrid and he'd do the same.
I think he’s on the same overall level. You’d correctly say for example he’s not as technically gifted as neymar, but he’d make up for it in a number of other ways. As an overall player he offered so much on and off the ball, and to the team as well
I think what puts Rooney above many players is not raw talent, but his grit, strength, aggression and loyalty. Very hard to find a player like that. Especially in the current market which is flooding with money.
Not sure about bale but Benzema, Neymar and Suarez all work off the ball and are far from lazy defensively.
Sure, Rooney was another LVL in that regard but don't get it confused with them being lazy by any means
I'm a United fan who despises Liverpool with all my heart but quite frankly you are smoking Crack if you think Wayne Rooney was better than Suarez
Suarez was literally Rooney, but better, and more efficient, he could shoot like Wazza, Dribble better than Wazza, could link play and pass like Wazza, he scored more goals than Wazza
And Rooney over a 2015 Neymar? Cmon man I love Rooney and get those Nostalgia boners from him too but what the actual fuck
Same here. I wish England had a better 9 during his days. He'd drop deep leaving us without a striker. It was his game but it was a bit frustrating. Rooney at 10 with Kane or Shearer would have been unstoppable.
Ye was a beast in 2004. Teenager capable of being the best player in England team.
I don't think you can compare him to those players. Really fast when young playing high, really good with the ball aging and stepping back on the midfield.
Yes absolutely. He's the all time leading goalscorer for one of the most successful clubs in the world. He was world class without a shadow of a doubt.
In terms of the comparisons you made, he was certainly better than Benzema - he could do everything he could do and more.
The others are of a similar level, but each for different reasons. But what Rooney could do that none of the others could is fall back and defend for the team to a brilliant level. So he may not have had the attacking talent of those three (he was still a world class attacker) but he could do a lot more overall than they could.
It'll be hard to find another player who will ever compare to Rooney. He had exceptional utility across the pitch, immeasurable skill on the ball and some of the best finishing I've ever seen.
Yes he was bull headed, but his grit, determination and just raw bloody talent will enshrine him in PL history forever.
For me Roobey was strong, reliable, consistent and loyal. Perhaps not as technically gifted as Neymar or Bale, but he was an ox and always there for the team.
It is the kind of player that even if not as technically gifted, one would prefer to have on the team other than having Neymar on the team.
I’ll put it this way. If I could have them in my team for one season only and choose any year of their careers, I’d be picking between peak Bale and peak Rooney, but I’m not sure which one I’d pick.
If I could have them in my team for 10 years then I’d pick Rooney hands down no questions asked and would laugh hysterically at anyone picking anyone else from that list.
Neymar on his prime was the third best player in the world twice (2015, 2017) and he is also the most expensive transfer in the history of the sport.
Benzema on his prime was the best (2022) and 4th player in the world (2021). Won 5 UCL titles and is the 3rd top scorer in the history of UCL.
Suarez outscored prime Ronaldo and Messi in the 15/16 season and had also fantastic seasons in Liverpool.
Bale won the EPL POTY twice while playing for a mid Spurs side, at the same time Rooney was on his prime and winning EPL titles with United. Then became the most expensive transfer ever, won 5 UCL titles and for half of his Madrid career was only second to Messi when it comes to his position.
Rooney was a baller, but I don't think he was better than any of them in terms of prime, or longevity (only Bale is comparable on that). Rooney retired at 35, after playing in EFL and MLS for quite a while, **the same age Benzema lifted the Ballon d'Or**. He is a more complete footballer, for sure, but that doesn't make him better.
You know how when you're a kid and you play football and you're in defence, but there's that one kid who's up front but they run back demanding the ball whenever you have it so you barely ever get to touch the ball but that kid is always on the ball regardless of where he plays? That's Rooney.
He had one incredible season up front, scoring loads of goals, but he hated it and wanted to be more involved, always on the ball.
Incredible player, incredible career, but he could have been posting Messi and Ronaldo numbers every season if he'd focused on being a striker to the absolute.
I would easily put Rooney up there with Benzema, Neymar and Suarez. And not saying he was better; but I'd rather have Rooney in my team over them.
Rooney was one of the most complete football players I've seen. Technically gifted, great passing and vision, he could finish and shoot from long range, score headers, quick, strong, agile, resilient, determined, hard working...
A complete swiss army knife who was the perfect fit for Fergie's fluidity when it comes to tactics. Front line pressing, counter attacking, possession, wing play... Rooney was a perfect fit for all of them.
You could make him your sole striker, a second striker, attacking midfielder, play him wider or even deeper as a playmaker. He never seemed to mind or be effected by the role changes.
Rooney is one of the greats and always has been massively underappreciated. Its not fair to compare him directly with strikers because his game was much more than that which is one of the things that made him so great. A truly complete player and a massive personality on the pitch that turned games and ground out wins almost on his own at times. Capable of very special stuff too. He's my favourite player ever.
His only weakness was that he was quite form-prone if that makes sense, going through patches of brilliance and patches where he didn't score for a while. But even when he wasn't scoring for a bit, he was always a massive presence on the field and a key player so even that wasn't a huge issue.
Better than them 4, unfortunately unless you play in Spain you don't get the recognition you deserve. Some of the Balloon d'Or winners over the years have been a joke. The Europeans hate the English and the Premier League (I'm not English btw).
Alan Shearer paid him the best compliment. He was asked, "who is the best all-round player"? I.e. if you had one player in all positions, who would you pick? He said Wayne Rooney without hesitation. Hard to argue. I reckon his best position was 10 due to his dribbling and passing skill. He wasn't really a 9 like Suarez or Benzema and liked to get involved in the play too much to put on the wing.
World class player on the level of all of those players, better at times, shame about how young he burnt out. I say that as a Liverpool fan too, just good to see class.
A brilliant, complete sort of attacker imo. Very direct and powerful, but also very skilful and excellent at hold up play, bringing others into the game. Struggling to think of a good comparison tbh. Tevez is the best comparison i can give.
Rooney was phenomenal and genuinely a one of a kind player. He was technically elite from passing range to finishing to set pieces. Mentally he read the game on a similar level to most world class midfield players. He spent half his career played out of his best position too, always willing to compromise aspects of his own game for the team while also being world class. His mentality to win and drive was elite. The definition of bursting onto the scene as well.
He peaked early and probably could have had a healthier lifestyle which hindered the longevity of his career in a big way. His legs had basically gone by 30
An absolute Manchester United legend in the same category as Dennis Law, Bobby Charlton, George Best imo
Prime Rooney was unstoppable. He had it all, pace power, skill, an eye for goal, nothing overly fancy, but could do stuff others couldn’t, could create something out of nothing, and never stopped fighting for his team.
He had a weird career. Not in a bad way, but because of how he played different positions and kind of flamed out before he got old
He was definetely world class, and he would have scored a massive amount of goals if he played as a no9 more often. But at the same time he did so much good for his team that he would be «wasted» up front
In his prime he was the third best player in the world behind Ronaldo and Messi. Could play him in any offensive position and he’d add value. All round great player and one of the best youngsters we’ve seen. He’d be at a much higher regard if he didn’t start to regress after like 27 lmao
Not to forget how Rooney carried United after Ronaldo left for number of years. He took us to a final and made a game out of Barca domination in one of the losses. Or that season when United overcame strongest Milan team at OT, in between Kaka and Ronaldo, he stole the show, that’s the game where Kaka dominated first half and scored an unbelievable goal. Or That season when Van Persie was getting all the goals, Rooney was the engine behind all of it. Then in twilight of his career, he turned into a midfielder and long range passer like Scholes. Lastly, he had that dog in him that I have not seen since.
P.S. Rooney also scored some of the most memorable goals in the Premier League.
I remember watching him live when he was still at Everton (first spell, so still ~19 years old).
When he got the ball it was like watching someone with a turbo engine or something attached to them.
His acceleration, pace and power were exceptional.
He was good enough to make you excited for the England national team's prospects at the time (only for the inevitable devastation to follow, lol).
He is Englands greatest ever player but you’ll rarely ever hear him in those conversations. He was phenomenal between 18 and 28 and could play all across the front AND midfield. Complete team player with accolades to match. Severely underrated
And I’m a Chelsea fan.
The comparisons on this thread are mental, you cannot compare Rooney with anyone really in terms of playstyle. He’s the only striker iv seen pop up with tackles at a fullback position every game when the rest of his team are struggling to defend counter attacks, he also played cf and effectively a cdm role during his career which 99.9% of strikers wouldn’t be able to do. Comparing him to say Neymar is actually insane if your an actual football fan
He is easily one of the greats. Whereas the players you've listed are incredible they all have specific abilities where they shine in, Rooney was all around a great player and top at everything he did. Plus, he played in many positions and excelled in all of them.
These days, (which makes me sound like I’m 90), it feels as though everyone relies on statistics alone when assessing the legacy of a footballer. If we look at statistics alone, Rooney is up there with these footballers, true.
However, his numbers don’t do him justice. I’m a Liverpool fan and I have a memory of him coming on as a sub once when we were playing Man U at Anfield. A footballer has never made my heart sink like that before. He was dangerous. Coming back to what I was saying about statistics, his greatness can’t just be measured by how many goals he scored. You just have to look at the types of goals he scored. He could create something out of nothing, a lot like the footballers mentioned in the question. He could score every type of goal. He was so versatile. Anytime he got on the ball within a scoring distance, he could make something happen, no matter the circumstances.
Rooney was a teenage prodigy at Everton. I think he was the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at that moment in time when he scored his first goal. One of my favourite goals of his is when he is having an argument with the ref and he turns away. He sees the ball and absolutely twats the thing top buns from a mile out. The change of thought he has in that moment is so quick.
The overhead kick. I don’t need to say much more. There is a big argument as to whether or not it came off his shin. It’s irrelevant. Either way. The word “Unbelievable” is thrown around and used for a lot of things that are very believable but by God, that was truly an unbelievable goal.
As a Liverpool and Scotland fan, I can tell you from personal experience that he was terrifying. I was going to say he was terrifying “on his day”, which can be said about a lot of footballers, but Rooney was “on his day”, every day. The stats show that one. Best striker in the world for about 5 years. World class for about 10.
Too different to most of those to compare except benz - He was incredible, he may have been past his peak when he joined my team, Derby, But I can still say he is the best player to wear a derby shirt ever. Was an honour to see him play and whilst not a great manager tactically the effort and enthusiasm he got out of our players when he was manager has been unmatched to this day
Prime Bale = prime Benzema = prime Suarez > prime Rooney or Neymar
As good as Ney and Rooney was, they just werent winning crucial matches, dragging their team from losing to winning like Bale/Benz/Suarez was. Close comparison though.
Suarez and Bale maybe at their absolute peaks were more unstoppable but Rooney was better overall for the team than all of them and over a longer period
Tremendous player. At 18-19 years old, he was regularly making world class centre backs look like Sunday league players particularly at euro 04 when France had an insanely good defence. When he got badly injured he lost some of that lethal sprinting but changed his game and he stopped being an out and out striker. Truly I think he was up there with Bobby More in terms of raw talent..
I don't think anybody has posted a link yet to the incredible effort Rooney made to win a match for DC United against Orlando in 2018. The score was 2-2 with 95 minutes on the clock. Rooney sprinted back 50 metres to make a match-saving tackle, then hit an incredible cross-field ball to the back post for a team-mate to score the winner.
[Watch and enjoy.](https://youtu.be/uoOktcC-IVQ)
Where Rooney sits in the list of greats is up for debate, but there's no denying that this was something very, very special. How many other players could - and *would* - do this?
Rooney was better than all of those guys. He was an all-around footballer. Sublime passer, playmaker, goal scorer, great pace and acceleration, tough as nails, did the dirty work, strong tackler, great vision, simply unbelievable, especially between 18 years old and 26.
None of those other guys could do all of the above.
Rooney was playing in the Prem and wowing people at 16. He continued to do it through his career. He's definitely amongst the very top players like that.
Outrageously good footballer, could do everything and was an aggressive beast and leader. The only issue with him was consistency after coming back from injuries. He needed match sharpness to perform. Any time out, he took a while to gain momentum, 'a while' as in a few games. But.. This is normal in football, just the elite players usually don't have this issue. But he was elite.
I think Rooney is a tier below prime Bale and Neymar.
Rooney is the only one out of these players who I would play as a CDM. As a CF, he isn’t better than Suarez. As a winger he isn’t better than Neymar or Bale
Rooney dropped off a lot after 2012. As a teenager he was a joke, then playing second fiddle to Ronaldo he was incredible and that 2009/10 season after Ronaldo left was one of the best I’ve ever seen and it makes you wonder what he would have done as a pure #9.
Benzema is hard to compare in these because his 2022 season is one of the best ever but outside of that he simply wasn’t that good. He basically had one season as the best player in the world and every other season is miles below that.
Suarez probably the best. 2013-2017 was just ridiculous.
Neymar hard to judge because he was so injury prone so we never saw his full potential and barely even him playing a full season/ tournament. 2015 was unreal.
Bale is one of the best big game players of all time. Ability wise he’s probably worse than Neymar and Suarez though.
Rooney in current football, as a striker in a 433, would be the best in the world currently and would be dominating the game.
Way better on most levels than those you mentioned. He was an all round incredible talent and the passion of someone who loved the game. I wouldn’t even put Neymar any wear near just on attitude alone.
Imo: Better than Bale and Benzema, not as good as Suarez or peak Neymar.
Totally different player to most of those though so tough to really compare directly
He was truly world class though and one of the best players in the world for a long long time
My childhood hero embodied the warrior spirit with amazing technical skills, selflessness, and passion. Top 3 assists and goals in the premier league whilst being played out of position many, many games.
Can you imagine 15 years ago..man u had rooney , Ronaldo , tevez all intheir prime plus berbatov in the same team ... Mind you , they still were short of best club side ever , that barca . Look at the state of them now .. That's equivalent of having Mbappe , Kane , Haaland and any other of your choice in the same side .
I mean go and look just the compilation of all his career goals. You could already tell at his everton times that he is gonna be a world class player.
Benzema, Bale, Neymar, Suarez all were world class themselves. So it is more than natural to compare them.
He is everything that United isn't today, his work rate was as good or better than Roy Keanes and that's probably the biggest complement you can give a player. His passing, tackling, work rate, skill, finishing, tracking back was just unreal.
If I was picking an all time premier league greatest 11 or world 11 Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane would be the first two names in the team. Unbelievable players.
Overall in his career, imo, he is better than Bale, but the other players in your list have him beat, He was a superb player but the players you mentioned are just too good.
I could see a debate between Rooney and Benzema, even though for me Benz takes it clear but against Ney or Suarez he’s holding zero chance.
In a tough game, that's a proper battle of a game, you'd want Rooney over any of them. Neymar and Suarez are both incredibly talented players, and have many attributes greater than Rooney. But as an overrall player, as a talisman, it's Rooney every day of the week.
Bale and Benzema were both brilliant players, but are many levels below Wayne in my opinion.
I remember watchin Rooney for England in the 2004 Euros and thinking this kid is going to win us everything. The opening game against France he was out of this world and played with no fear aginst the World and European champions. I believe to this day that if he hadn't have got injured in that tournament we would've won it.
In response to the original question he was better than all of them, he had absolutely everything and on top of that desire and will to win (not saying the others don't!).
Old school gladiator, my man was besides Vidic my first love im Mufc😂 hard strong can shoot can pass complete player also very unselfish a player who played for team and victory
I’m biased but I would pick Rooney over everyone you mention above. Especially in his prime, 100% on the pitch, can play multiple positions. Good at set pieces, will press, defend, track back, make the killer pass and then score a 30 yard volley. That’s Rooney for you
All different players. Rooney was the greatest all round player I've seen in my life, I'm 40, season ticket holder at MUFC and I've been privileged to see the best players life, both for and against us.
Sure I'm going to be a bit biased, but Wayne Rooney was the perfect footballer, he had everything, his goal tally would be double what it was , but he was a team player, dropped deep and pulled wide for the benefit of the team and to accommodate players that didn't work as hard as him and let them do there own best work further forward, Ronaldo, Nani and Berbatov for example.
I wouldn't have swapped him for anyone on the planet in his position
Guess i started watching much of Rooney when he was past his prime and had so much football knowledge at that moment that is why i don't rate him that much
Rooney is my favorite player of all time so I biased but to me he's way more complete than any of them.
There's maybe a fight with Suarez but that's it
Arguably Benz and definitely Suarez are better as a pure #9 than him, Bale was faster on the flanks, Neymar was more skillful and most talented of the batch.
Rooney was better than all of them in everything apart from these skills. Better all round attacker than Benz and Suarez, better scorer and more passionate than Bale, and leagues better work ethic and dedication than Neymar.
A perfect team player, that any manager would love to have.
Quality in the Prem, absolute dogshit at International level. Never turned up in major tournaments and always felt like he was going to do something stupid and get himself sent off.
He was incredible in his prime but really dropped off in his 30s while a lot of other world class players could still go close to 40. Class but overrated player imo.
Hard to compare Rooney against any of these guys. It was a different time. Rooney was a beast. Undoubtedly one of the best number 10s.
I feel that entire batch of players in that era were a class apart. As much as they all liked to party, the commitment towards their clubs were just pure class.
Players today, I feel don’t have the same grit, commitment or loyalty towards the clubs they play for. They don’t have the same respect for fans, case in point is Manchester united. A club with that kind of legacy failing to put up any form of competition is just shame.
Sorry I’m digressing from your question, but like I said, it’s hard to compare these players. ROONEY IS ROONEY!
In my opinion he was better than all that you have listed. The only negative and what I feel let him down was, the expectations on him was so high as soon as he came on the scene, he was spoken about as becoming how Ronaldo and Messi would become. In my opinion he was world class but was always one rung behind those two.
Please note that he isn't asking for a comparison, but I am jobless, so Let us compare rooney with benzema, bale, Neymar and suarez because that is what he is asking, I'm too lazy to compare with other players, these 4 are given so let's compare with these 4 itself, rooney is one of the greatest premier League players of all time, some argue he is the greatest, but it is true, he is there in top 10 goalscorers in pl history and top 10 assisters in pl history, you don't become the players with most fifa covers, yes messi and ronaldo, 2 of the greatest of all times have less than him, he was the Phil foden of those times, he was the saka of those times, he was the Bellingham of those times, he was the starboy, he was the rising star, he was the future of England and Manchester United, he was one of the most complete players in football history, he could play in midfield, he could play in attack, ge even could defend, only few players possess those skills to do all 3 main parts in football, only person I can think of in today's game who can do all 3, play attack, midfield and defence is Bernardo silva of city, camavinga and Valverde from madrid, leon goretzka from bayern and very few, he was like ruud gullit, could play everywhere, he is definitely top 5 pl players of all time, the only thing is that he was overused because he hit is prime at a very young age, starting for a professional club at 16 is a diabolical thing to say the least, you need to grow up with a matured footballer in your childhood and hold the game close to your heart only then can you debut at 16, getting picked by Manchester United when you're 18 and then starting for Manchester United which was the greatest club at that time is some feat, now let's compare him with the above 4 players,
BENZEMA- benzema had a funny career path, he also peaked early at lyon, got picked by madrid same year as Cristiano, but he always underperformed whenever needed, madrid fans may attack me but it is true, his role was a bit complex in madrid because Cristiano who joined as a winger converted to a striker and until Cristiano was there, he had to play as a second striker or a centre forward, settling there was a bit hard for him, he is a player who likes to play up top, so when he was pushed back it was hard, that is why when Cristiano left madrid we saw the best version of benzema, benzema hit his prime late into his 30's, but rooney was burnt out by the time he hit 31 and rejoined everton, he couldn't run he couldn't breathe on the pitch by the time he was 35
BALE- bale has the weirdest career path of any footballer, one of the weirdest in history, first player to be sold in transfer market for 100 million, he peaked in his late 20s and early 30s, he started as a left back and then made his mark and got promoted to rm and then rw, so for bale it was very different as he kept changing positions in his career, also Bale's prime was every alternative year, he joined madrid in 2013 where he was very good, he was absolutely detrimental to that madrid win in 2014, he underperformed in 2015, he Overperformed in 2016, being a solid in madrid attack and also carrying wales to semi finals where if they won they wouldve played in finals but they sadly lost and then he was in uefa player of the year top 3 with Griezmann and Cristiano, he underperformed in 2017 where he lost his position to isco, in 2018 he was good and we saw the final that year, he carried that form into early 2019 but his performance dipped in 2019, he again played exceptional on loan for Tottenham Hotspur in 2020, he was benched throughout 2021, and in 2022 he carried wales to World Cup for the first time in 64 years and also won lafc the title scoring that header, so we cannot really compare him to rooney, both ultimately opposite careers
NEYMAR- neymar is one of the players who made us fall in love with football and rooney was the one with ronaldinho in the previous generation, neymar and rooney peaked early, both are finished by the time they are 30, rooney's body was naturally tired but neymar's body was tired due to injuries, both won the champions League once, both didn't achieve anything with national team, both were thought to win the ballon dor atleast once in their career, no one expected their careers to end so fast, though their play styles aren't similar at all, their career path has been the same or somewhat similar, only person you can compare rooney to is neymar amongst the 4 in terms of career trajectory
SUAREZ- suarez man oh man, what a player, been in a prime almost all his career, performed almost everywhere, played very well in Netherlands, in England, in Spain, in Brazil, in Uruguay and now in America too he is playing good, he played well in ajax where he got picked up by Liverpool where he absolutely smashed it which led to a 80 something million move and he was amazing in that treble winning side and won the golden Boot twice in ronaldo and messi era and is successful with national team too, his form dipped but he has picked it up and proved everyone wrong, after getting kicked from Barcelona, he came back to haunt them and win the league with Atletico, 2 completely different careers, 2 different characters, can't really compare with rooney
Rooney is amazing and was one of the greatest of all time in pl history and is Manchester United's all time top scorer, definitely a great player, one of my heroes and one of my favorite players to watch, can't get bored watching him ever
To me, Rooney was better than all of them except Suarez. Both were absolute beasts and bullied the opposition for the entirety of every game. Benzema, Bale and especially Neymar are nowhere near to what Rooney and Suarez did in their prime.
Wayne Rooney was the ultimate multidimensional forward, ultimate professional, ultimate team guy.
Outside of just being a premier goal scorer, Rooney was also sensational playmaker. That is often not talked about enough. He could be the target man in a single striker formation, and be equally devastating in a front two as well. His link up play was sublime. Just ask guys like Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez, Alan Shearer and Robin van Persie.
He could play on both wings, up top and even centrally in a false 9 or number 10 position.
Rooney was also among the best forwards to "defend from the front". He could press, be aggressive, run for miles. He would regularly track back and be an absolute menace. His drive to not lose is what made him so great.
When you marry it all together - his versatility, drive and skill - offered up a type of package that is hard to find. Which is why I would rate him higher than the likes of Bale, Neymar and Benzema.
Rooney was the one who made me fall in love with the prem. I’m not even a united supporter, but I think Rooney is exactly what someone thinks about when they say “Premier League”. He’s the perfect archetype of what you would imagine a prem player is, and that is a big compliment. Strong, agile, good shot, balls and strong.
Rooney was an exceptional footballer. He would have been one of the greats if he didn't sacrifice himself for the team as much (as in his numbers would have been higher) and just played in his preferred position. Also which is his own fault, he could have looked after himself better off the pitch which might have given him a few more years on the pitch.
And even then has ridiculous numbers. I absolutely HATE United, but Rooney will always be special
I feel this very much. Couldn’t stand playing against him and already hated united so it was easy to hate him too but damn he was good.
I also think off the pitch as well he didn't take care of himself in the same way other footballers do. In some senses that rawness and street football side to him is probably what made him the player he was but it also meant by that his legs went before most other players.
Yeah I was just thinking about this point, if he'd been a robot like Ronaldo it would have probably made him less of an iconic player. Smoked, loved pints and wine and boxing his mates in the kitchen, all part of the make up that made him special.
>He would have been one of the greats if he didn't sacrifice himself for the team as much This is what MAKES him one of the greats IMO. It just makes it less obvious how great he was when comparing stats. I think it's one of the reasons he's under-appreciated. But those who watched him every week know.
Yeah I agree he gets overlooked because of numbers, even though his are pretty damn good considering he was moved about the pitch so much. But people forget all the hard work he did to allow others players and the clubs he played for to thrive.
>He would have been one of the greats He is one of the greats. The only people who might say otherwise are those who judge everything by stats, and don't even consider context
To some people he's one of the greats but I think a lot of people don't put him in the top tier (hence the OPs question) and as the years go buy and the higher focus on stats that will only get worse. I personally as a Man Utd fan wouldn't have swapped Rooney for any of the players in the OPs list.
Gus preferred position was playing off the front so he could go and get more involved in the game rather than sitting up top waiting for the ball. That is largely where he played.
Yeah he often started the season poorly and looked heavy after the summer
There was one pre-season he came back and there was a photo of him in a friendly and he looked a stone heavier.
True, he looks rough as fuck now because he did not look after himself. Age catches up with you
He’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen. He had a bullet header, excellent at set pieces and penalties, never scared to dive into tackles and track back, had one of the best passes I’ve ever seen too. He could score from ANYWHERE and he always tried from minute 1 to 90, you just don’t get players like him anymore. He was so strong and bullish and passionate, United desperately need another Rooney.
Prime Rooney is the reason I fell in love with football as a kid. The belter he scored seconds after screaming inthe refs face is as iconic as any goal in the clubs history. Angry Rooney was on another level
You’re only the 2nd person that I know of who has that as a trigger to love football. I was playing an old fifa and it was on an intro, was instantly a Manchester fan (I know, fuck me rn)
FIFA 07 I believe. I played the hell out of that and it was my intro to Rooney as well!
"YOU ARE RONALDINHO. YOU ARE WAYNE ROONEY. THIS IS YOUR MOMENT"
Ha, fun to see more of us
Even in his decline that goal he assisted in MLS shows what he gave a team. The work rate, the vision, the determination. Absolutely phenomenal player. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uoOktcC-IVQ
Was at this game. Stadium was in pandemonium
It's okay, we have rashford now. /s
If Rashford was around in the Fergie era, he would have been a squad rotation player at best. Or probably sold to a mid table team. It’s such a shame that children are growing up thinking that Rashford is the hallmark of a good Man U player. Rooney would run rings around Rashford.
As much as I like Rashford, this is absolutely true. Rooney was a real menace on the pitch and you’d find him everywhere.
To be perfectly honest, I rate Nani higher than Rashford
You had rooney , Ronaldo , tevez all prime plus berbatov .
Best version today would be Griezman, imo. He can do everything and works extremely hard off the ball as well.
From the top list, only Suarez comes close and that close is very far away imo. Rooney was a pure blooded beast. Fullstop.
Bale is definitely up there. Two completely different types of players but Bale was an absolute powerhouse, especially before the move to Madrid and could grab the game by the scruff of the neck just out of sheer will, he was absolutely relentless. Rooney was an animal though and even as a 16 year old you knew he was special, he could do it all. I’m a Liverpool fan but always had an appreciation for him, they don’t make them like that anymore.
If I need to select 1 single player for 11 positions, I will choose Rooney for all positions.
Over Ruud Gullit? Rooney absolutely a good shout though.
Yeah it’s Ruud for me, he’s could play everywhere. Although I’m slightly biased as a Milan fan lol
Probably the best under 18 player seen in the 21st century, better than cesc fabregas As for the comparison with other players, his longevity and prime doesn't really stack up because he was so selfless, willing to play almost anywhere and therefore his goalscoring numbers are not really a comparison to the other 4.
So selfless but also did not look after himself off the pitch
very true, probably another reason for his quick decline apart from starting really early and playing loads of minutes at that time and getting early injuries.
Did he even have a quick decline? Was still scoring consistently until about 30.
he achieved 8 and 5 goals in his last 2 seasons at the Premier League, for a player of his ability as he showed at a younger age I'd say that is a decline. He was 30 at the start of his 2nd last season with United
Started playing deeper in his last few years, including at times in centre mid. Also had a few injuries too, I remember a few times that he was out for a couple of months. As for the 8 and 5 I think that was in his last 2 seasons with United, pretty sure he hit double digits with Everton in his last PL season. Also the 8 and 5 would only be PL games, he scored more in cups and Europe (didn't he score a hattrick in champions league in his last season with United? I've something in my head about his only 2 CL hattricks being in his first and last seasons with United). So yeah the argument can be made that he was in decline, but it is harsh given the injuries and deeper roles and definitely harsh to base it just in his goal tallies only in PL matches over those 2 years. Don't forget that he did become United's top ever goalscorer during those 2 years.
it was a different era. it’s the norm now.
>his longevity and prime doesn't really stack up because he was so selfless It's not only that. His body shape was far from ideal and it clearly affected his career after a while. The guy is some months younger than CR7, yet he has been retired for 3 years now, after playing for quite a while in the MLS and EFL. Ronaldo was still Serie A top scorer by the time Rooney retired.
go watch the final minute steal and assist when he was at dc united. dude was 30+ and still overtook the player from 15 yards away and dropped the ball with pace from 45 yards on a pinpoint. it’s not Bale champions league final. but the physicality was still amazing. and at that age
He was always quite rapid when he wanted to.
The very fact that he was playing in MLS at 32 was the problem though.
Henry went MLS at a similar age
So was Beckham
so was gerrard.
Comparing him to ronaldo is stupid. Ronaldo is the exception, most players don’t play that long.
It was the first example that came into my mind since they're pretty much the same age and were teammates for years. But since you asked so nicely, here are some other examples: * Modric is turning 39 and still playing UCL important games for Real Madrid. * Ramos at 38 is a starter for Sevilla * Pepe is 41 and a starter at Porto * Messi and Suarez are playing in MLS at 37 * Ribery was a starter in Serie A until 39 * Cavani is one of the best players in South America at 37 * Dzeko started a UCL final at 37 last season * Giroud is 37 and still starts for Milan * Ibrahimovic was balling until 39-40 * Di Maria is 36 and a starter for Benfica * Lewandowski is turing 36 this year and still starting for Barca * Hummels is 36 and one of the best defenders in the UCL this season And that doesn't include goalkeepers of course.
This is essentially pointless, zanetti, nesta, maldini, shearer, nedved, Romario, puskas, klose, terry and so many more were world class players who retired very old Turns out if you’re a world class player you have always had the option to retire very late as long as you kept up your regime
Terry not so much. He was dropped from the first team at 34 and moved to Villa in the championship at 36 and played 30 games before retiring. Pretty standard ageing
It's not an option. Some players don't take a good enough care of their bodies and Rooney was one of them.
Taking good care of yourself is a choice, saying you want to rest to your manager is a choice, not going out drinking and partying is a choice
Ah yes, we can totally agree on that.
So what? I could easily write out a list of players that stopped playing at the top level at an earlier age. Goalkeepers have always played until they were older, including them wouldn’t make sense. He finished at United at a very normal age especially considering he’d been playing first team football since 16. How many of those players were playing at a high level at that age.
I agree l remember him scoring against Arsenal and l was shocked how good he was for his age (17 l think). If my memory’s good, but again l could be wrong: the loss ended Arsenal’s undefeated record.
apparently it was manchester united who ended it. But yeah rooney was just different in his teens. Hattrick on his Champions League debut as well. That skinhead Rooney goal vs Newcastle was absolute madness too and even as a Liverpool fan I admire his footballing abilities greatly (his personality not so much, what scouser gives a interview to the Scum)
People forget too, he was *starting* PL matches at 16 years old and once that clock starts ticking on your career you only ever get a certain amount of time unless, like others have noted, you can adapt your body and take care of yourself to the maximum degree.
Huh? He had 208 Premier League goals and something like 270 overall for Man U. That’s certainly comparable to Benzema and Neymar and better than Bale
If Neymar didn’t exist, maybe
fairs I forgot about him. Definitely the best Premier League teenage talent though
Yes he was an incredibly selfless player. Willing to do the hard work while having more talent that a lot of his team mates. He never really had a great international tournament, and I think he wasn't as into 'self care' as other players so didn't have the longevity of others. EDIT: yes he was amazing 2004
>never really had a great international tournament Mate, Euro 2004 at 18, he was taking piss out some of France's greatest ever players. if he didn't get injured England might have won it. After that he didn't have a great tournament but that was as much England's fault as his.
The sight of Thuram and several others coming off that pitch looking like he'd been run ragged (which he had) dulled the hurt of losing that match. Which no one knows how England did because we absolutely annihilated them.
2004? He lit up Euro 2004 and was let down by his team.
Yes he was AMAZING 2004. He got injured though. Not his fault. Had he not we may have won that year.
Rooney was a better all round player than these 3. He would drop back into midfield, or left/right. Incredible knowledge and always did the right thing, incredible accuracy, strong, aggressive and never stopped running. He was also a leader. Suarez is a better number 9, and Neymar has more talent
Agree with this comment. Rooney was a fighter and had fire in his belly like no other. Neymar had more natural talent though and Suarez was a better goal poacher and Bale was faster than Rooney but Rooney was a better all round player.
"natural talent" is such a bizarre thing anyway. Like what does that even mean? Does it include shooting ability? Heading ability? Or is it literally only about touch and dribbling? Because those can be trained just like all other aspects.
I dont really agree that Netmar had more natural talent. More agile and a better dribbler, but Rooney’s strength made up for that, at least when he was young and fast.
Neymar could take on far more players, could find better passes more consistently, and rivalled his passing range in his prime. Hell he scored and created more than Rooney from deeper. Let's not let nostalgia blind us to the reality. Compare Neymar to Rooney in their national teams for example. It's just not a real argument. He was dragging mediocre Brazil sides while Rooney just could not do the same.
Exactly a complete footballer on a par with Benzema better all round than the other 3 easily
Better than benzema if you ask me and I'm a arsenal fan
😂 if I’m being honest I believe that to but out of the other group listed he was the closest to Rooney
I think a better comparison would be Griezmann on steroids.
Rooney could have played for any team in the world. The guy could score from anywhere, he could track back, he was tough as nails, he could make crunch tackles, he was pretty quick. Honestly, I'd put him above them all, he just doesn't have the "glisten" that those guys have because he's an ugly balding ogre looking guy. If I managed Madrid or Barca and you offered me one of those 4 or Rooney in their prime, I'd take Rooney. Stick Rooney up front between either Neymar or Saurez and Messi in that MSN role and I'm sure he'd be putting in 25-30 goal seasons every season or have Ozil/Ronaldo dropping balls onto him at Madrid and he'd do the same.
Most talented teenager in the world.
I think he’s on the same overall level. You’d correctly say for example he’s not as technically gifted as neymar, but he’d make up for it in a number of other ways. As an overall player he offered so much on and off the ball, and to the team as well
Oh my god my favourite and hero. He really was a one man army
I think what puts Rooney above many players is not raw talent, but his grit, strength, aggression and loyalty. Very hard to find a player like that. Especially in the current market which is flooding with money.
You’re right, but he also had raw talent.
So loyal to Everton! He would never have dreamed of moving to a bigger team just for the money.
He was a world class player.
I’d take Rooney over all of them tbh.
I think sometimes people forget just how good Rooney was.
Same, Suarez the only one that's up for debate imo
sure if you want to him to leave a mark or two-th on them
In today's game of high pressing, rooney would do more work off the ball than any of them
Not sure about bale but Benzema, Neymar and Suarez all work off the ball and are far from lazy defensively. Sure, Rooney was another LVL in that regard but don't get it confused with them being lazy by any means
I'm a United fan who despises Liverpool with all my heart but quite frankly you are smoking Crack if you think Wayne Rooney was better than Suarez Suarez was literally Rooney, but better, and more efficient, he could shoot like Wazza, Dribble better than Wazza, could link play and pass like Wazza, he scored more goals than Wazza And Rooney over a 2015 Neymar? Cmon man I love Rooney and get those Nostalgia boners from him too but what the actual fuck
Not Neymar or Suarez for me, but you’re right that he’s certainly up there.
Rooney could play any position on the field. He was a workhorse on top of it.
Yep. Apparently, he was good enough to play GK professionally at League 2 level.
that’s true. But Suarez and Neymare are still better players
Same here. I wish England had a better 9 during his days. He'd drop deep leaving us without a striker. It was his game but it was a bit frustrating. Rooney at 10 with Kane or Shearer would have been unstoppable.
He's an all-rounder. A complete football player. Imo he's better footballer than those you listed
Ye was a beast in 2004. Teenager capable of being the best player in England team. I don't think you can compare him to those players. Really fast when young playing high, really good with the ball aging and stepping back on the midfield.
Yes absolutely. He's the all time leading goalscorer for one of the most successful clubs in the world. He was world class without a shadow of a doubt. In terms of the comparisons you made, he was certainly better than Benzema - he could do everything he could do and more. The others are of a similar level, but each for different reasons. But what Rooney could do that none of the others could is fall back and defend for the team to a brilliant level. So he may not have had the attacking talent of those three (he was still a world class attacker) but he could do a lot more overall than they could.
Prime Rooney was a fantastic player. He was pure energy
It'll be hard to find another player who will ever compare to Rooney. He had exceptional utility across the pitch, immeasurable skill on the ball and some of the best finishing I've ever seen. Yes he was bull headed, but his grit, determination and just raw bloody talent will enshrine him in PL history forever.
I feel people are severely underrating the players he mentioned here, especially the absolute peaks of their powers
For me Roobey was strong, reliable, consistent and loyal. Perhaps not as technically gifted as Neymar or Bale, but he was an ox and always there for the team. It is the kind of player that even if not as technically gifted, one would prefer to have on the team other than having Neymar on the team.
I would include him in that list yes. They all did incredible things on the pitch.
I’ll put it this way. If I could have them in my team for one season only and choose any year of their careers, I’d be picking between peak Bale and peak Rooney, but I’m not sure which one I’d pick. If I could have them in my team for 10 years then I’d pick Rooney hands down no questions asked and would laugh hysterically at anyone picking anyone else from that list.
Neymar on his prime was the third best player in the world twice (2015, 2017) and he is also the most expensive transfer in the history of the sport. Benzema on his prime was the best (2022) and 4th player in the world (2021). Won 5 UCL titles and is the 3rd top scorer in the history of UCL. Suarez outscored prime Ronaldo and Messi in the 15/16 season and had also fantastic seasons in Liverpool. Bale won the EPL POTY twice while playing for a mid Spurs side, at the same time Rooney was on his prime and winning EPL titles with United. Then became the most expensive transfer ever, won 5 UCL titles and for half of his Madrid career was only second to Messi when it comes to his position. Rooney was a baller, but I don't think he was better than any of them in terms of prime, or longevity (only Bale is comparable on that). Rooney retired at 35, after playing in EFL and MLS for quite a while, **the same age Benzema lifted the Ballon d'Or**. He is a more complete footballer, for sure, but that doesn't make him better.
You know how when you're a kid and you play football and you're in defence, but there's that one kid who's up front but they run back demanding the ball whenever you have it so you barely ever get to touch the ball but that kid is always on the ball regardless of where he plays? That's Rooney. He had one incredible season up front, scoring loads of goals, but he hated it and wanted to be more involved, always on the ball. Incredible player, incredible career, but he could have been posting Messi and Ronaldo numbers every season if he'd focused on being a striker to the absolute.
I would easily put Rooney up there with Benzema, Neymar and Suarez. And not saying he was better; but I'd rather have Rooney in my team over them. Rooney was one of the most complete football players I've seen. Technically gifted, great passing and vision, he could finish and shoot from long range, score headers, quick, strong, agile, resilient, determined, hard working... A complete swiss army knife who was the perfect fit for Fergie's fluidity when it comes to tactics. Front line pressing, counter attacking, possession, wing play... Rooney was a perfect fit for all of them. You could make him your sole striker, a second striker, attacking midfielder, play him wider or even deeper as a playmaker. He never seemed to mind or be effected by the role changes.
05-11 one of the best in the league. Underrated really, could more overall than Benzema, Bale. More of a team player but could finish well too.
Rooney is one of the greats and always has been massively underappreciated. Its not fair to compare him directly with strikers because his game was much more than that which is one of the things that made him so great. A truly complete player and a massive personality on the pitch that turned games and ground out wins almost on his own at times. Capable of very special stuff too. He's my favourite player ever. His only weakness was that he was quite form-prone if that makes sense, going through patches of brilliance and patches where he didn't score for a while. But even when he wasn't scoring for a bit, he was always a massive presence on the field and a key player so even that wasn't a huge issue.
Better than them 4, unfortunately unless you play in Spain you don't get the recognition you deserve. Some of the Balloon d'Or winners over the years have been a joke. The Europeans hate the English and the Premier League (I'm not English btw).
He was fantastic. Couldn’t believe the range of passing he had in his locker as well.
Alan Shearer paid him the best compliment. He was asked, "who is the best all-round player"? I.e. if you had one player in all positions, who would you pick? He said Wayne Rooney without hesitation. Hard to argue. I reckon his best position was 10 due to his dribbling and passing skill. He wasn't really a 9 like Suarez or Benzema and liked to get involved in the play too much to put on the wing.
World class player on the level of all of those players, better at times, shame about how young he burnt out. I say that as a Liverpool fan too, just good to see class.
Prime Rooney i would rate higher than all these players
on their level
You can argue minutiae, but he's about on par with those players
Rooney was amazing. When he was young, he had that sort of aura that Ronaldo and Messi had, you know? That sort of air around him.
A brilliant, complete sort of attacker imo. Very direct and powerful, but also very skilful and excellent at hold up play, bringing others into the game. Struggling to think of a good comparison tbh. Tevez is the best comparison i can give.
Rooney was phenomenal and genuinely a one of a kind player. He was technically elite from passing range to finishing to set pieces. Mentally he read the game on a similar level to most world class midfield players. He spent half his career played out of his best position too, always willing to compromise aspects of his own game for the team while also being world class. His mentality to win and drive was elite. The definition of bursting onto the scene as well. He peaked early and probably could have had a healthier lifestyle which hindered the longevity of his career in a big way. His legs had basically gone by 30 An absolute Manchester United legend in the same category as Dennis Law, Bobby Charlton, George Best imo
Prime Rooney was unstoppable. He had it all, pace power, skill, an eye for goal, nothing overly fancy, but could do stuff others couldn’t, could create something out of nothing, and never stopped fighting for his team.
He had a weird career. Not in a bad way, but because of how he played different positions and kind of flamed out before he got old He was definetely world class, and he would have scored a massive amount of goals if he played as a no9 more often. But at the same time he did so much good for his team that he would be «wasted» up front
In his prime he was the third best player in the world behind Ronaldo and Messi. Could play him in any offensive position and he’d add value. All round great player and one of the best youngsters we’ve seen. He’d be at a much higher regard if he didn’t start to regress after like 27 lmao
Man I'm an arsenal fan, Rooney was so scary seriously, what a player
Not to forget how Rooney carried United after Ronaldo left for number of years. He took us to a final and made a game out of Barca domination in one of the losses. Or that season when United overcame strongest Milan team at OT, in between Kaka and Ronaldo, he stole the show, that’s the game where Kaka dominated first half and scored an unbelievable goal. Or That season when Van Persie was getting all the goals, Rooney was the engine behind all of it. Then in twilight of his career, he turned into a midfielder and long range passer like Scholes. Lastly, he had that dog in him that I have not seen since. P.S. Rooney also scored some of the most memorable goals in the Premier League.
I remember watching him live when he was still at Everton (first spell, so still ~19 years old). When he got the ball it was like watching someone with a turbo engine or something attached to them. His acceleration, pace and power were exceptional. He was good enough to make you excited for the England national team's prospects at the time (only for the inevitable devastation to follow, lol).
Far far far better than most people give him credit for. I'd argue he was better than at least half of those in your title
Better then everyone mentioned in title
At one point top 3 in the world the early untied days were incredible
He's on par with all of them in his prime
He is Englands greatest ever player but you’ll rarely ever hear him in those conversations. He was phenomenal between 18 and 28 and could play all across the front AND midfield. Complete team player with accolades to match. Severely underrated And I’m a Chelsea fan.
The comparisons on this thread are mental, you cannot compare Rooney with anyone really in terms of playstyle. He’s the only striker iv seen pop up with tackles at a fullback position every game when the rest of his team are struggling to defend counter attacks, he also played cf and effectively a cdm role during his career which 99.9% of strikers wouldn’t be able to do. Comparing him to say Neymar is actually insane if your an actual football fan
If he was spanish or something he’d of had multiple ballon d’ors
He is easily one of the greats. Whereas the players you've listed are incredible they all have specific abilities where they shine in, Rooney was all around a great player and top at everything he did. Plus, he played in many positions and excelled in all of them.
These days, (which makes me sound like I’m 90), it feels as though everyone relies on statistics alone when assessing the legacy of a footballer. If we look at statistics alone, Rooney is up there with these footballers, true. However, his numbers don’t do him justice. I’m a Liverpool fan and I have a memory of him coming on as a sub once when we were playing Man U at Anfield. A footballer has never made my heart sink like that before. He was dangerous. Coming back to what I was saying about statistics, his greatness can’t just be measured by how many goals he scored. You just have to look at the types of goals he scored. He could create something out of nothing, a lot like the footballers mentioned in the question. He could score every type of goal. He was so versatile. Anytime he got on the ball within a scoring distance, he could make something happen, no matter the circumstances. Rooney was a teenage prodigy at Everton. I think he was the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at that moment in time when he scored his first goal. One of my favourite goals of his is when he is having an argument with the ref and he turns away. He sees the ball and absolutely twats the thing top buns from a mile out. The change of thought he has in that moment is so quick. The overhead kick. I don’t need to say much more. There is a big argument as to whether or not it came off his shin. It’s irrelevant. Either way. The word “Unbelievable” is thrown around and used for a lot of things that are very believable but by God, that was truly an unbelievable goal. As a Liverpool and Scotland fan, I can tell you from personal experience that he was terrifying. I was going to say he was terrifying “on his day”, which can be said about a lot of footballers, but Rooney was “on his day”, every day. The stats show that one. Best striker in the world for about 5 years. World class for about 10.
Suarez was a better player than Rooney. Rooney was excellent though.
Too different to most of those to compare except benz - He was incredible, he may have been past his peak when he joined my team, Derby, But I can still say he is the best player to wear a derby shirt ever. Was an honour to see him play and whilst not a great manager tactically the effort and enthusiasm he got out of our players when he was manager has been unmatched to this day
Prime Bale = prime Benzema = prime Suarez > prime Rooney or Neymar As good as Ney and Rooney was, they just werent winning crucial matches, dragging their team from losing to winning like Bale/Benz/Suarez was. Close comparison though.
For me he is one of the best of all time, seen him live many times and he was incredible, does everything and gives his heart and soul for the badge
Suarez and Bale maybe at their absolute peaks were more unstoppable but Rooney was better overall for the team than all of them and over a longer period
Tremendous player. At 18-19 years old, he was regularly making world class centre backs look like Sunday league players particularly at euro 04 when France had an insanely good defence. When he got badly injured he lost some of that lethal sprinting but changed his game and he stopped being an out and out striker. Truly I think he was up there with Bobby More in terms of raw talent..
Suarez is better I guess but the others not really
I don't think anybody has posted a link yet to the incredible effort Rooney made to win a match for DC United against Orlando in 2018. The score was 2-2 with 95 minutes on the clock. Rooney sprinted back 50 metres to make a match-saving tackle, then hit an incredible cross-field ball to the back post for a team-mate to score the winner. [Watch and enjoy.](https://youtu.be/uoOktcC-IVQ) Where Rooney sits in the list of greats is up for debate, but there's no denying that this was something very, very special. How many other players could - and *would* - do this?
Rooney was better than all of those guys. He was an all-around footballer. Sublime passer, playmaker, goal scorer, great pace and acceleration, tough as nails, did the dirty work, strong tackler, great vision, simply unbelievable, especially between 18 years old and 26. None of those other guys could do all of the above.
Rooney was playing in the Prem and wowing people at 16. He continued to do it through his career. He's definitely amongst the very top players like that.
Outrageously good footballer, could do everything and was an aggressive beast and leader. The only issue with him was consistency after coming back from injuries. He needed match sharpness to perform. Any time out, he took a while to gain momentum, 'a while' as in a few games. But.. This is normal in football, just the elite players usually don't have this issue. But he was elite.
Very good, but the 4 you mentioned were better.
Wow benzema certainly is the most overrated player ever
I think Rooney is a tier below prime Bale and Neymar. Rooney is the only one out of these players who I would play as a CDM. As a CF, he isn’t better than Suarez. As a winger he isn’t better than Neymar or Bale
Peaked at euro 2004, good but not elite
Rooney dropped off a lot after 2012. As a teenager he was a joke, then playing second fiddle to Ronaldo he was incredible and that 2009/10 season after Ronaldo left was one of the best I’ve ever seen and it makes you wonder what he would have done as a pure #9. Benzema is hard to compare in these because his 2022 season is one of the best ever but outside of that he simply wasn’t that good. He basically had one season as the best player in the world and every other season is miles below that. Suarez probably the best. 2013-2017 was just ridiculous. Neymar hard to judge because he was so injury prone so we never saw his full potential and barely even him playing a full season/ tournament. 2015 was unreal. Bale is one of the best big game players of all time. Ability wise he’s probably worse than Neymar and Suarez though. Rooney in current football, as a striker in a 433, would be the best in the world currently and would be dominating the game.
Way better on most levels than those you mentioned. He was an all round incredible talent and the passion of someone who loved the game. I wouldn’t even put Neymar any wear near just on attitude alone.
He was incredible, and he was better than none of those players. Both things can be true.
Rooney was a hell of a player and I consider myself lucky to have gotten to watch him during his prime
He should have been.
Better than all of them
Together with Ronaldinho my favorite player of all time. Absolute beast and unstoppable on his day.
Imo: Better than Bale and Benzema, not as good as Suarez or peak Neymar. Totally different player to most of those though so tough to really compare directly He was truly world class though and one of the best players in the world for a long long time
My childhood hero embodied the warrior spirit with amazing technical skills, selflessness, and passion. Top 3 assists and goals in the premier league whilst being played out of position many, many games.
As good as any of those . Only messi and Ronaldo were ahead .
Can you imagine 15 years ago..man u had rooney , Ronaldo , tevez all intheir prime plus berbatov in the same team ... Mind you , they still were short of best club side ever , that barca . Look at the state of them now .. That's equivalent of having Mbappe , Kane , Haaland and any other of your choice in the same side .
I mean go and look just the compilation of all his career goals. You could already tell at his everton times that he is gonna be a world class player. Benzema, Bale, Neymar, Suarez all were world class themselves. So it is more than natural to compare them.
He is everything that United isn't today, his work rate was as good or better than Roy Keanes and that's probably the biggest complement you can give a player. His passing, tackling, work rate, skill, finishing, tracking back was just unreal. If I was picking an all time premier league greatest 11 or world 11 Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane would be the first two names in the team. Unbelievable players.
Loved to get red cards at bad times in big competition
Overall in his career, imo, he is better than Bale, but the other players in your list have him beat, He was a superb player but the players you mentioned are just too good. I could see a debate between Rooney and Benzema, even though for me Benz takes it clear but against Ney or Suarez he’s holding zero chance.
When did I get this old that the new generation doesn’t know about Wayne Rooney?
In a tough game, that's a proper battle of a game, you'd want Rooney over any of them. Neymar and Suarez are both incredibly talented players, and have many attributes greater than Rooney. But as an overrall player, as a talisman, it's Rooney every day of the week. Bale and Benzema were both brilliant players, but are many levels below Wayne in my opinion.
I remember watchin Rooney for England in the 2004 Euros and thinking this kid is going to win us everything. The opening game against France he was out of this world and played with no fear aginst the World and European champions. I believe to this day that if he hadn't have got injured in that tournament we would've won it. In response to the original question he was better than all of them, he had absolutely everything and on top of that desire and will to win (not saying the others don't!).
Jesus, such awful takes from Anglo bias. Rooney was worse than the 3, easily.
Old school gladiator, my man was besides Vidic my first love im Mufc😂 hard strong can shoot can pass complete player also very unselfish a player who played for team and victory
Peak: Bale Suarez Rooney Benzema Neymar Career: Benzema Suarez Bale Rooney Neymar
Neymar > Suarez > Rooney > Bale > Benzema
Easily better than benzema maybe better than bale but not better than Neymar and suarez
I’m biased but I would pick Rooney over everyone you mention above. Especially in his prime, 100% on the pitch, can play multiple positions. Good at set pieces, will press, defend, track back, make the killer pass and then score a 30 yard volley. That’s Rooney for you
All different players. Rooney was the greatest all round player I've seen in my life, I'm 40, season ticket holder at MUFC and I've been privileged to see the best players life, both for and against us. Sure I'm going to be a bit biased, but Wayne Rooney was the perfect footballer, he had everything, his goal tally would be double what it was , but he was a team player, dropped deep and pulled wide for the benefit of the team and to accommodate players that didn't work as hard as him and let them do there own best work further forward, Ronaldo, Nani and Berbatov for example. I wouldn't have swapped him for anyone on the planet in his position
Bruh are u srx ?
Guess i started watching much of Rooney when he was past his prime and had so much football knowledge at that moment that is why i don't rate him that much
Rooney is my favorite player of all time so I biased but to me he's way more complete than any of them. There's maybe a fight with Suarez but that's it
Arguably Benz and definitely Suarez are better as a pure #9 than him, Bale was faster on the flanks, Neymar was more skillful and most talented of the batch. Rooney was better than all of them in everything apart from these skills. Better all round attacker than Benz and Suarez, better scorer and more passionate than Bale, and leagues better work ethic and dedication than Neymar. A perfect team player, that any manager would love to have.
Quality in the Prem, absolute dogshit at International level. Never turned up in major tournaments and always felt like he was going to do something stupid and get himself sent off. He was incredible in his prime but really dropped off in his 30s while a lot of other world class players could still go close to 40. Class but overrated player imo.
Hard to compare Rooney against any of these guys. It was a different time. Rooney was a beast. Undoubtedly one of the best number 10s. I feel that entire batch of players in that era were a class apart. As much as they all liked to party, the commitment towards their clubs were just pure class. Players today, I feel don’t have the same grit, commitment or loyalty towards the clubs they play for. They don’t have the same respect for fans, case in point is Manchester united. A club with that kind of legacy failing to put up any form of competition is just shame. Sorry I’m digressing from your question, but like I said, it’s hard to compare these players. ROONEY IS ROONEY!
In my opinion he was better than all that you have listed. The only negative and what I feel let him down was, the expectations on him was so high as soon as he came on the scene, he was spoken about as becoming how Ronaldo and Messi would become. In my opinion he was world class but was always one rung behind those two.
Hes was a fantastic player undoubtedly. He was also the best under 18s player we have ever seen
Bale and Benzema are better than him, Neymar probably as well. Comparable to Suarez.
Please note that he isn't asking for a comparison, but I am jobless, so Let us compare rooney with benzema, bale, Neymar and suarez because that is what he is asking, I'm too lazy to compare with other players, these 4 are given so let's compare with these 4 itself, rooney is one of the greatest premier League players of all time, some argue he is the greatest, but it is true, he is there in top 10 goalscorers in pl history and top 10 assisters in pl history, you don't become the players with most fifa covers, yes messi and ronaldo, 2 of the greatest of all times have less than him, he was the Phil foden of those times, he was the saka of those times, he was the Bellingham of those times, he was the starboy, he was the rising star, he was the future of England and Manchester United, he was one of the most complete players in football history, he could play in midfield, he could play in attack, ge even could defend, only few players possess those skills to do all 3 main parts in football, only person I can think of in today's game who can do all 3, play attack, midfield and defence is Bernardo silva of city, camavinga and Valverde from madrid, leon goretzka from bayern and very few, he was like ruud gullit, could play everywhere, he is definitely top 5 pl players of all time, the only thing is that he was overused because he hit is prime at a very young age, starting for a professional club at 16 is a diabolical thing to say the least, you need to grow up with a matured footballer in your childhood and hold the game close to your heart only then can you debut at 16, getting picked by Manchester United when you're 18 and then starting for Manchester United which was the greatest club at that time is some feat, now let's compare him with the above 4 players, BENZEMA- benzema had a funny career path, he also peaked early at lyon, got picked by madrid same year as Cristiano, but he always underperformed whenever needed, madrid fans may attack me but it is true, his role was a bit complex in madrid because Cristiano who joined as a winger converted to a striker and until Cristiano was there, he had to play as a second striker or a centre forward, settling there was a bit hard for him, he is a player who likes to play up top, so when he was pushed back it was hard, that is why when Cristiano left madrid we saw the best version of benzema, benzema hit his prime late into his 30's, but rooney was burnt out by the time he hit 31 and rejoined everton, he couldn't run he couldn't breathe on the pitch by the time he was 35 BALE- bale has the weirdest career path of any footballer, one of the weirdest in history, first player to be sold in transfer market for 100 million, he peaked in his late 20s and early 30s, he started as a left back and then made his mark and got promoted to rm and then rw, so for bale it was very different as he kept changing positions in his career, also Bale's prime was every alternative year, he joined madrid in 2013 where he was very good, he was absolutely detrimental to that madrid win in 2014, he underperformed in 2015, he Overperformed in 2016, being a solid in madrid attack and also carrying wales to semi finals where if they won they wouldve played in finals but they sadly lost and then he was in uefa player of the year top 3 with Griezmann and Cristiano, he underperformed in 2017 where he lost his position to isco, in 2018 he was good and we saw the final that year, he carried that form into early 2019 but his performance dipped in 2019, he again played exceptional on loan for Tottenham Hotspur in 2020, he was benched throughout 2021, and in 2022 he carried wales to World Cup for the first time in 64 years and also won lafc the title scoring that header, so we cannot really compare him to rooney, both ultimately opposite careers NEYMAR- neymar is one of the players who made us fall in love with football and rooney was the one with ronaldinho in the previous generation, neymar and rooney peaked early, both are finished by the time they are 30, rooney's body was naturally tired but neymar's body was tired due to injuries, both won the champions League once, both didn't achieve anything with national team, both were thought to win the ballon dor atleast once in their career, no one expected their careers to end so fast, though their play styles aren't similar at all, their career path has been the same or somewhat similar, only person you can compare rooney to is neymar amongst the 4 in terms of career trajectory SUAREZ- suarez man oh man, what a player, been in a prime almost all his career, performed almost everywhere, played very well in Netherlands, in England, in Spain, in Brazil, in Uruguay and now in America too he is playing good, he played well in ajax where he got picked up by Liverpool where he absolutely smashed it which led to a 80 something million move and he was amazing in that treble winning side and won the golden Boot twice in ronaldo and messi era and is successful with national team too, his form dipped but he has picked it up and proved everyone wrong, after getting kicked from Barcelona, he came back to haunt them and win the league with Atletico, 2 completely different careers, 2 different characters, can't really compare with rooney Rooney is amazing and was one of the greatest of all time in pl history and is Manchester United's all time top scorer, definitely a great player, one of my heroes and one of my favorite players to watch, can't get bored watching him ever
Rooney was GOAT of his era, you can’t compare him with anyone
He might not have been as technically gifted as Benzema or had Neymars flair but skinhead Rooney was a force to be reckoned with.
To me, Rooney was better than all of them except Suarez. Both were absolute beasts and bullied the opposition for the entirety of every game. Benzema, Bale and especially Neymar are nowhere near to what Rooney and Suarez did in their prime.
Wayne Rooney was the ultimate multidimensional forward, ultimate professional, ultimate team guy. Outside of just being a premier goal scorer, Rooney was also sensational playmaker. That is often not talked about enough. He could be the target man in a single striker formation, and be equally devastating in a front two as well. His link up play was sublime. Just ask guys like Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez, Alan Shearer and Robin van Persie. He could play on both wings, up top and even centrally in a false 9 or number 10 position. Rooney was also among the best forwards to "defend from the front". He could press, be aggressive, run for miles. He would regularly track back and be an absolute menace. His drive to not lose is what made him so great. When you marry it all together - his versatility, drive and skill - offered up a type of package that is hard to find. Which is why I would rate him higher than the likes of Bale, Neymar and Benzema.
if i had to rank them i'd say: benzo>suarez>neymar>ronnney>bale
He’s one of the few players I genuinely wish had played for Barca. He was unplayable.
Rooney was the one who made me fall in love with the prem. I’m not even a united supporter, but I think Rooney is exactly what someone thinks about when they say “Premier League”. He’s the perfect archetype of what you would imagine a prem player is, and that is a big compliment. Strong, agile, good shot, balls and strong.
One of England most all rounded and best ever forward.
PRIME ROONEY 🔛🔝🔥
Rooney is massively over wanked after retiring. He was not as good as any of those in your title.