There is something perverse about the idea that England’s record goalscorer and Manchester United’s record goalscorer heads towards the twilight of his playing days with questions about whether or not he has fulfilled his potential continuing to hang over him.
That – and the obvious controversy that has been a recurring theme of his career – is probably one of the reasons why Rooney remains so frustrated by some of the media coverage he receives that he has taken to speaking out against it.
Whatever others say about him, there is no question in his own mind that he has achieved and there is also a burning sense of grievance that his achievements are not always given the recognition that they deserve.
Taking everything into account, including his background, his role in the teams he has played for, his willingness to sacrifice himself for others and, most of all, his accomplishments, and it becomes pretty easy to understand why Rooney feels as he does.
I find it amazing that I equal sir Bobby Charltons record and this is a headline in the mail. pic.twitter.com/MXCs1HFooT
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) January 8, 2017
If, as some argue, he has fallen short of fulfilling the potential he demonstrated so gloriously when Clive Tyldesley was demanding that everyone “remember the name” it is fair to ask what exactly their expectations were of him at that stage.
Since then, Rooney has gone on to win five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one Champions League; he has been crowned PFA player of the year once, young player of the year twice and been named in the PFA team of the year three times.
On top of that, he has been England’s player of the year on four occasions, made 119 appearances for England, become his country’s record goalscorer and equalled Bobby Charlton’s record for United.
By any measure, Rooney’s is one of the great careers of modern English football and his feeling that his achievements deserve greater respect than they receive is probably not misplaced.
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Everton’s mentality needs changing
It might be hard for the younger generation but there was a time when Rooney’s old side Everton Football Club used to win; not just big games but big honours. They were and remain one of the country’s biggest clubs even if their wait for a trophy is set to enter its 22nd year following Saturday’s exit at the hands of Leicester City.
The problem is that they are now increasingly used to things other than winning. They are used to going out of cup competitions earlier than they should (last season being one of few honourable exceptions), they are used to finishing in mid-table, they are used to struggling to attract top players, they are used to failing to beat Liverpool, they are used to being also rans.
None of that is or should be acceptable to a club which prides itself on a motto, Nil Satis Nisi Optimum, which means “Only the best is good enough.” That was why the ambition demonstrated by Farhad Moshiri, Everton’s low profile investor, at the club’s recent AGM was as welcome as it was overdue.
The vision of a new stadium in Liverpool’s docklands is one that has to galvanize both the club itself and the city that it is in, while a lucrative deal involving both shirt sponsorship and naming rights for Everton’s training ground indicated a much needed move towards a more business savvy approach.
(Photo by Paul Thomas/Getty Images)
Advances like these, particularly the new stadium if and when it happens, have the potential to allow Everton to realise their own potential. But in themselves they will not be enough to transform the fortunes of a club which has lost the winning habit and the winning mentality that made it possible.
If there is a comfort in mediocrity, Everton have found it as underlined by the rather muted response to their hopes of success being ended in January. People both inside and outside of Everton have stopped expecting them to win.
Reversing that trend is their biggest current challenge, although access to greater financial resources does at least offer them a fighting chance.
