He's not the same player who won the hearts of every Everton fan. Sir Alex Ferguson has changed him - and not necessarily for the better.
'Sir Alex got it very right when trying to coach out Cristiano Ronaldo’s showboating flair, but he got it wrong with Wayne'
This week it was announced that the libel writ issued by Everton boss David Moyes, against Harper Collins (publishers of Wayne Rooney's autobiography My Story So Far), Wayne Rooney himself, and his ghost writer, Hunter Davies, has resulted in victory for the Toffees gaffer.
Moyes will receive up to £150,000 himself with Harper Collins footing the bill, which could be in excess of half a million pounds.
The controversial passage involves the suggestion that after Wayne Rooney told Moyes he wanted to move to Manchester United after the Roon-prostitute story broke, Moyes then hot-footed it to the Liverpool Echo and told them everything.
This has since been proven to be total fabricated tripe and I am glad that Moyes won his showdown with his former student Wayne. But it saddens me that this could be Wayne Rooney’s final off-field dealings with his boyhood club.
Although this was a deserved victory for the Moyesiah, it is tinged with regret and disappointment; regret that my former idol and the manager of my team had to lock horns through litigation, and disappointment that Wayne Rooney’s employers are now Manchester United and not Everton.
No matter how much dirt emerges about Wayne Rooney, no matter how much the Scouse genius runs roughshod over his “once a Blue, always a Blue” oath of fealty with obnoxious and hypocritical badge kissing, I will always regard him as a footballing God.
To get over Rooney’s departure to Old Trafford, I treated the new version of him as almost a different player – and it wasn’t too hard. Sir Alex Ferguson has straitjacketed some of his wilder tendencies, turning his feral flair and atavistic aggression into the player he wanted him to be.
Watching Wayne now you see an awe-inspiring and excellent player. But I think that he could have become even better. The early Rooney - bursting past defenders, ruthlessly direct and blinkered, known to taunt defenders by putting his hands on his hips in mock boredom, who like a belligerent matchmaker never ceased introducing the ball to the back of the net – won’t be seen at Old Trafford.
Say what you want about your Wayne, but OUR Wayne had it all and in many ways was uncoachable. The glorious trajectory predicted by many hasn’t quite panned out, and although Rooney is the jewel in England’s crown he is overshadowed by others such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kaka.
Sir Alex got it very right when trying to coach out Cristiano Ronaldo’s showboating flair, but he got it wrong with Wayne, as his direct early self was more akin to the Brazilian Ronaldo at Barcelona – selfish, but only as any good single-minded striker has to be.
Manchester United’s millions bought a star, but by separating him from his boyhood club they never got the legend.
So has the best been coached out of Wayne Rooney? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.