Rio Ferdinand: Rooney Could Have Been Bigger Star Than Cristiano Ronaldo
Wayne Rooney has been receiving praise from all sections of the footballing world following his incredible achievement of outscoring Sir Bobby Charlton and becoming Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer on 250 goals.
As reported in The Sun, ex-England and Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand has made a bold claim that Rooney could have surpassed the achievements of Cristiano Ronaldo had he not been a team player and put the team’s needs ahead of his own, unlike his Portuguese colleague.
Ferdinand said:
“Cristiano had an absolute desire to be the best individual in the world.
“Wayne would say: ‘I want to be the world’s best but I’ll do it by being a team player’.
“That has not allowed him to be a 40-goals-a-season man he could have been.
“You have got to remember he was playing left-wing-half the time when Ronaldo was there for the last couple of years to cover full-backs who had started to attack more.
“He would do that with no questions asked. There are not a lot of players with Wayne Rooney’s profile who would have accepted that type of decision.”
Rooney arrived at Old Trafford as a fresh-faced 18-year-old and if he wins the Europa League this season he will have won every major honour with the club.
Many ex-players, including Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo, owe the Everton man a lot for the sacrifices he made in his own game in order for them amongst others to steal the limelight for the good of the team. His never say die attitude mirroring club legend Roy Keane was key to much of the success the club has had since his arrival from Everton.
Ferdinand also believes finally having the weight of the record hanging over him lifted, Rooney can now focus on helping Manchester United move forward and show Mourinho at 31 there are plenty of goals left in him yet.
“The big thing for Wayne Rooney has been to get through that barrier of 250. That was a lot of pressure. People were always talking about it. Every time he was asked about it and was thinking about it in the back of his mind.
“Getting there might just release a fresher Wayne Rooney. But you cannot get away from when your body is telling you one thing. I think Wayne is the only person who will know it is over. I don’t think he is at that point yet. He can contribute in many ways.”
source:punditarena.com
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