Will I forgive Wayne Rooney?

 

Rooney United for Life?

 

First Let me just say that Wayne Rooney is my favorite player, or was my favorite player. I liked the way he played. He was as pure a footballer as you could want. Obviously not pure in the bible sense, just as a pure footballer there was nobody in the pros who was made to be a footballer as much as he was, in my mind.

Sure he wasnt perfect, the legendary temper, the curious profligacy in front of goal and the nagging feeling that he never reached the heights his talent suggested he could. I never wavered, there were few things in football that made me as excited as watching Rooney on the ball.

He was like nobody in football. Lionel Messi may be the best player in the world but he doesn’t have that same…. whatever it is that Rooney had. It just seemed like he was doing things because he was there and he could. I cannot explain it.

This year, he hit an injury full goal free stretch, One goal since march. I never wavered. He had a terrible World Cup. I never wavered. He was allegedly involved in some solicitation, not only didn’t I waiver, I became more of a fan.

Then, last week he asked out of Manchester United. Now, I was just as surprised as anyone, but I was not very surprised when he signed.

Whenever I talked to my friends about Rooney the man who I equate him with the most is Lebron James because they both seem like they were put on this earth to just play their sports. I had no problem when James left Cleveland, the way he announced his departure was terrible, but the act of leaving had no effect on how I felt about him as a player or person. I laughed at the over emotional reaction of Cleveland fans. Always in my mind was that he is labour and in any contractual situation I tend to side with labour and not management, screw the millionaires, innit.

So why didn’t I feel the same way about Rooney? Why didn’t I react by supporting his choice as labour to do what he wants? Why did I react like a cartoonish Cleveland fan?

Well the answer came to me when I compared their two situations. they have been pros for almost the same amount of time. Lebron carried his team for years and got no help, him leaving for a better situation was the common sense move. The classless, egotistical and insensitive way he left was, in the larger scheme of things, not a big deal.

Not Rooney. Rooney had been on a Man Utd team that leant on him but that he did not carry. He had won every trophy available to him.  He had everything. Then wanted assurances that the team still planned to be competitive in the future. This is United. Manchester United. Wayne Rooney has been alive for 25 years. This club was great before his parents met. The idea that he was worried about the clubs finances is ludicrous. What assurances did they give him in one day that he accepted a deal THAT MADE HIM THE HIGHEST PAID PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is more likely, that they showed him financial reports that proved future stability or that they showed him his yearly salary and he signed?

It was obviously an exercise in public negotiation. To get more money. Sir Alex blamed his agents. I hope that is true. Even if it is not, Rooney has lost my respect.

I am not sad, my feelings are not hurt and I don’t need a psychiatrist. I am angry. not real angry. sports angry. Rooney being a publicly greedy asshole doesn’t change my days.

Will I forgive him? I already have. But I will never look at him in the same way. I will cheer when he scores for United. I will frown when he scores for England. I will continue to be unbothered and uninterested by his prostitute. I will root for him as hard as before. I will get excited every time he sets his sights on the goal and bears down.

But in the back of my mind. He will never be the same. there will always be a little hater in the back of my mind that makes me wonder.

I have only ever bought one players jersey: David Beckham. The day he left United, any naivety I had about footballers disappeared. Or so I thought. I mark the last week as the second time I have felt the innocence is gone from the decreasing attractive game… Why do I keep getting sucked in?

To quote a scene from The Godfather II, “……..because this is the business we have chosen…”