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Wayne Rooney's brace of headers in the 3-2 win at Milan has got everyone whipped up into a frenzy over the brilliance of the Manchester United striker.
Following the Champions League last-16 first leg at the San Siro, both Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham lavished praise on the England forward, describing him as one of the best players in the world. Of course, being his international colleague and manager respectively, they would, wouldn't they?
There is no question that, in this form, Rooney can rub shoulders with the world's top players with pride, and if he does not perform to his abilities then neither his club nor country can hope to succeed.
But the best in the world? Here are five players who may just have the edge on our Wazza:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
Little Leo has maintained the form that saw him score against United in the Champions League final last May, one of six trophies Barcelona won in 2009, and he added the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards to his personal collection. This season in La Liga he is top scorer with 16 goals, less than Rooney's 21. However, when you add in the fact that he also leads the way in assists (clocking up eight so far to Rooney's three) his performance this term looks more impressive than that of the Englishman. Rooney may have helped England steamroll their World Cup qualification group while Messi and co barely squeezed into the finals, but remember that Fabio Capello manages England and Diego Maradona steers the ship for Argentina. There is a world of difference.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal)
Rooney's erstwhile team-mate and Messi's predecessor as the world's best player. Ronaldo's brand of brutally direct football has transferred across to Spain perfectly well without the tireless support Rooney gave him in England, as his 11 league goals and six European strikes this season will attest. A supreme physical specimen who is just as much of a threat in the final minute as he is in the first, Ronaldo is the only player who could join a club at the same time as Kaka and overshadow the Brazilian. As well as Rooney has stepped up since Ronaldo's departure, there are times when it is clear United miss him.
Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
Drogba may be coming to the end of his peak years, but what a season he is having this term. The Ivorian is back to his ruthless, defender-eating best under Carlo Ancelotti. Rooney may be no wallflower, but the sheer power that Drogba brings on to the pitch makes him unplayable at times. Although he has scored four league goals less than Rooney, he has also played as many less. However, he has found the net three times in as many games in the Champions League thus far. And as for those free-kicks that he takes, Rooney is yet to become as lethal and prolific from dead balls as that.
David Villa (Valencia and Spain)
What, no Torres? The Liverpool striker might well have been included but, unlike Rooney and all the players on this list, he has had an injury-disrupted last 12 months or so. So instead we'll just have to make do with Villa, who like Rooney may not be the tallest but more than compensates for that in terms of guile, drive and clinical finishing. Despite Ronald Koeman overseeing a disastrous spell at Valencia last season, Villa still scored a whopping 29 goals in 33 Liga games, and already has 15 to his name this term. In fact it is a miracle that he still plays for Los Che at all, with the club somehow resisting mega-money approaches from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea in recent times - and those are the ones we know of.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona and Sweden)
Capital punishment, Iraq, The X Factor - none of these issues are as divisive as the merits of Zlatan. To some, he has fluked his way through his career, someone who has garnered a huge reputation and a bulging trophy cabinet without ever turning in a good performance. To us, he is a uniquely graceful, stylish, dead-eyed assassin who has won a league title wherever he has been every single year for the past six years, and was worth every penny of the £40m-plus-Samuel Eto'o deal that brought him to Barcelona. When the best team in the world move heaven and earth to sign you, and you retain your Serie A player of the year title despite leaving the league halfway through, you must be doing something right.
Eurosport
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/170220...overrated.html
Following the Champions League last-16 first leg at the San Siro, both Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham lavished praise on the England forward, describing him as one of the best players in the world. Of course, being his international colleague and manager respectively, they would, wouldn't they?
There is no question that, in this form, Rooney can rub shoulders with the world's top players with pride, and if he does not perform to his abilities then neither his club nor country can hope to succeed.
But the best in the world? Here are five players who may just have the edge on our Wazza:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
Little Leo has maintained the form that saw him score against United in the Champions League final last May, one of six trophies Barcelona won in 2009, and he added the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards to his personal collection. This season in La Liga he is top scorer with 16 goals, less than Rooney's 21. However, when you add in the fact that he also leads the way in assists (clocking up eight so far to Rooney's three) his performance this term looks more impressive than that of the Englishman. Rooney may have helped England steamroll their World Cup qualification group while Messi and co barely squeezed into the finals, but remember that Fabio Capello manages England and Diego Maradona steers the ship for Argentina. There is a world of difference.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal)
Rooney's erstwhile team-mate and Messi's predecessor as the world's best player. Ronaldo's brand of brutally direct football has transferred across to Spain perfectly well without the tireless support Rooney gave him in England, as his 11 league goals and six European strikes this season will attest. A supreme physical specimen who is just as much of a threat in the final minute as he is in the first, Ronaldo is the only player who could join a club at the same time as Kaka and overshadow the Brazilian. As well as Rooney has stepped up since Ronaldo's departure, there are times when it is clear United miss him.
Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
Drogba may be coming to the end of his peak years, but what a season he is having this term. The Ivorian is back to his ruthless, defender-eating best under Carlo Ancelotti. Rooney may be no wallflower, but the sheer power that Drogba brings on to the pitch makes him unplayable at times. Although he has scored four league goals less than Rooney, he has also played as many less. However, he has found the net three times in as many games in the Champions League thus far. And as for those free-kicks that he takes, Rooney is yet to become as lethal and prolific from dead balls as that.
David Villa (Valencia and Spain)
What, no Torres? The Liverpool striker might well have been included but, unlike Rooney and all the players on this list, he has had an injury-disrupted last 12 months or so. So instead we'll just have to make do with Villa, who like Rooney may not be the tallest but more than compensates for that in terms of guile, drive and clinical finishing. Despite Ronald Koeman overseeing a disastrous spell at Valencia last season, Villa still scored a whopping 29 goals in 33 Liga games, and already has 15 to his name this term. In fact it is a miracle that he still plays for Los Che at all, with the club somehow resisting mega-money approaches from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea in recent times - and those are the ones we know of.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona and Sweden)
Capital punishment, Iraq, The X Factor - none of these issues are as divisive as the merits of Zlatan. To some, he has fluked his way through his career, someone who has garnered a huge reputation and a bulging trophy cabinet without ever turning in a good performance. To us, he is a uniquely graceful, stylish, dead-eyed assassin who has won a league title wherever he has been every single year for the past six years, and was worth every penny of the £40m-plus-Samuel Eto'o deal that brought him to Barcelona. When the best team in the world move heaven and earth to sign you, and you retain your Serie A player of the year title despite leaving the league halfway through, you must be doing something right.
Eurosport
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/170220...overrated.html
yuh consistent though. if he misses two headers next game, you'll probably say he is awful in the air!
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
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