[Sport] Unforgettable: Rooney retires as the greatest English player of his era

[G R 4 V E N ⵣ]

 

The former Man Utd and England striker will go down in history as one of the greats after announcing his retirement to take charge of Derby County

When 16-year-old Wayne Rooney curled in a 30-yard, last-minute winner against Arsenal in 2002, few knew much about the Everton striker

"Brilliant goal! Remember the name!" shrieked commentator Clive Tyldesley from the Goodison Park press box. Nobody, though, will ever forget how Rooney announced himself to the footballing world that day on Merseyside, or what he achieved during the 19 years that have followed.

Having announced the end of his playing career on Friday, Rooney moves into management having long since established himself as one of the greats of the English game.

The numbers speak for themselves. During a remarkable career, he played 763 games scoring 313, becoming not only Manchester United’s leading goalscorer but England’s too, eclipsing Sir Bobby Charlton in both instances.

If you were to ask people to name the best players of the Premier League era, some may skip past Rooney. His off-field exploits, the unsavoury headlines that he generated, and that moment he criticised England fans for booing the team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa coloured some fans' opinion of the forward. In short, 'Wazza' wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

However, anyone with a footballing brain appreciated his all-round excellence. Only Alan Shearer has scored more goals than him in the Premier League era, with 260 strikes to Rooney's tally of 208, while he also sits second in the all-time list for goals and assists, with 311.

Furthermore, after he announced his retirement on Friday afternoon, social media was flooded with messages from not just former team-mates, but rivals, too. The worlds 'legend' and 'GOAT' (greatest of all time) were the most commonly used words to describe him, while there were plenty of anecdotes flying around about how he helped those around him. United attacker Marcus Rashford tweeted: “To one of the greatest. It was a dream come true to play alongside you. Congrats on the most unbelievable career. "The day I got my senior call up I got on the bus and had no idea where to sit. Everyone had their spot. It was daunting. Then I found my spot alongside Wazza, thank you for making me feel so at ease and welcomed.”