Wayne Rooney: Up for the captain’s challenge?
With Wayne Rooney being named captain of Manchester United last month, Red Devil fans must be wondering how he’ll react to the title. Yeah, he has 159 strikes in 308 league games, and yeah, he’s been with the squad for 10 years. However, he also wanted to leave the club in 2010, and was brought up as an Everton boy, his hometown. Is his heart in the right place? His head? How many championships can Rooney lead Man. U to? Let’s look at who the 28-year-old “C” can idolize from the recent era at Old Trafford.
Bryan Robson (OBE, by the way) captained United from 1982-1994, only playing for the club one year before donning the captain band at age 25. When he first came to Manchester, the cost was 1.5-million pounds – the largest fee of its time. It was well worth it too, as he lead the club to back-to-back league championships in 1993 and 1994. Robson was the first English captain to win The Double. He finished with 74 markers over 12 seasons with the Red Devils, including 3 FA Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, and 1 League Cup. The retired midfielder is now an ambassador for Manchester United.
Jun 4, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; England forward Wayne Rooney (10) walks off the field during the second half against Ecuador at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Bruce co-captained with Robson from 1992-1994, and then took over for two more years following Robson’s departure. The English centre-back played well over 300 games for United, with 36 tallies. Gary Neville (who we’ll see later on this list) has said that Steve Bruce and Gary Paillister were the greatest defense duo in club history. Bruce was known for his great control, strong passes, but most of all, his huge heart on the pitch.
Eric Cantona of France was named captain for one season, after Bruce left for Birmingham. Cantona finished with 80 goals in less than five years with Man. U. He retired from soccer at age 30 to become…an actor? Really?
Perhaps one of the most competitive, media-controversial, dominating midfielders, Roy Keane was dubbed leader from 1997 at age 26, until 2005. Funnily enough, Robson was his favourite player growing up. The Irishman had some disappointments early in his captaincy, mostly due to injuries, but had 33 goals in 310 league games, and took United to five Premier League Championships in seven years.
Gary Neville is England’s most capped right back, and played for his hometown his entire career (only Ryan Giggs served longer than him). At age 30 he was picked to lead, and took United to win two Premier League Championships, two League Cups, and one Champion’s League Final from 2005-2011. In 2009, he was even awarded an honorary degree from the University of Bolton for his outstanding contributions to football. What a gem.
Nemanja Vidic left for InterMilan in 2014 and even played Manchester in his first game (he scored in the shootout, but United won the match). The Serbian became captain at age 30, coming to United only a year after Rooney. He was extremely important to United’s back end, but committed fouls too often. He led the squad to one Premier League Championship.
So, can Rooney lead in comparison to these greats? Well, in playoffs, his goal totals increase dramatically, with so far, 17 goals in 29 FA Cup games. He’s also scored 33 in 85 UEFA Cup matches. The PFA Player of the Year in 2009-2010, has been given the thumbs up from Gary Neville, with him stating publicly that Rooney is a born leader, and will restore Manchester United to the Premier League top four.