Rooney was never going to be anywhere near Ronaldo or Messi. His physicality along with his obvious talent helped him take to the men’s game very early but he never had the same potential as a genetic freak like Ronaldo or a magician with the ball like Messi
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He was much better than both until he hit the drink.
Because of his physicality at such a young age. He never had the same capacity to improve
Rooney had excellent technique and a pair off balls.
Rooney was an incredible footballer. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn’t know much about the game.
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Was it 09/10 when Rooney was outstanding and getting to messi / Ronaldos level. He got injured then in the run up to a game v Bayern Munich and played injured. He was never really consistently the same after that. He scored a wonderful goal v Barcelona in a CL final tbf.
He could probably have become uniteds top scorer of all time only for that
Longevity stats. Like the chumps on here who laud Giggs or Tom Brady.
Or Steven Gerrard
Sure he was finished at about 30 too 
.
One thing that’s forgotten about is how big an achievement it was for united to beat Jose’s Chelsea to the title that time. They had set a new standard similar to city and Liverpool now and were seen as unbeatable. They then signed shevchenko and ballack. Ferguson was seen as a total dinosaur and completely finished.
There’s a difference between excellent technique and Messi level technique and all round control of a football
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Ah he was nowhere next nor near Messi or Ronaldo. He was better than Ronaldo for a few years though. I’d imagine he’d be up there with the best of the rest born in the mid to late 80s though. Who else is there?
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He is judged harshly because of what he looked like being at Euro 2004.
The big difference between the Rooney then and what he went on to be was that he used to terrify defenders with his dribbling back then. He was so direct. That went completely out of his game.
Euro 2004 Rooney was his peak.
Benzema, Lewandowski, Suarez probably all better strikers but even though he’s only a few years older than them Rooney is a different generation really considering how early he started and finished
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Bar Diego Maradona, there has been no one with technique comparable to Messi really. You’re dealing a rung or two above even Zidane or Ronaldinho because they couldn’t do it at the pace Messi could.
Messi is also probably the best final third passer ever too.
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Rooney was done around 2013 tbh.
Take out the back 4 and keeper, that United team was shocking as well.
The 13’ team on paper was poor too, but they pushed a very good Madrid side all the way in Champions League.
Rio Ferdinand said it, that was the time when they should’ve spent the big money, from 09’ to 13’ when they had a foundation.
They were bringing the likes of Valencia and Owen while City were signing Aguero, Toure, Silva, Dzeko and Nasri. That’s where they lost it.
Ferguson should’ve been stronger with the owners. He knew the way it was going even before the 6 goal hammering.
Moyes wanted Kroos and Fabregas in 13’, maybe history would’ve been different if he’d got them. Although he fucked Zaha. Bar bullying Arsenal for RVP whose contract was running down, United weren’t getting the players any more.
DiMaria would’ve dominated the league under Ferguson.
He shoulda gone to City when he had the chance
That 06/07 year was probably my favourite ever Premier League season.
The last minute winner from John O’Shea at Anfield, Ronaldo at Craven Cottage, the comeback at Everton.
We got Sky that year and I couldnt believe my luck.
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You are right about the cheque book being opened the minute fergie left which was very odd.
In fairness fergie tried to sign a lot of young lads from 07 on wards up till 2013. He’d a lot of faith in lingard and welbeck. He signed Nani and Anderson. You’d Rafael and Fabio who both started in champions league finals at a young age. There was two Serb lads who signed but never played. Tosic and Adam something or other who both had good careers. You’d have had Johnny evans, smalling and Phil jones too. Add in zaha and janujaz as well. I always wondered what would happened these if fergie stayed.
One of the bigger blows to fergie was Darren fletcher being basically finished in 2011 and Hargreaves’s refusing to play. If those two had kept injury free it might have been different.
Vidic, evra, Rio, giggs, scholes, Rooney, rvp were all finished in a short space off time together a long with losing Hargreaves and fletcher meant the re build turned into a mess.
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