Wayne Rooney: King or King Douche?

Image via Complex Original

When: 10/19/2002

Wayne Rooney firmly announced himself on the soccer scene at just 16 years old. The boyhood Evertonian came off the bench to score this wonder goal in the dying moments of Everton’s match against Arsenal, bringing to end a 30-match unbeaten run for Arsene Wenger’s men, and giving rise to the legend of Rooney. This was Wazza’s first premiership goal, and he would go on to score 14 more for Everton before moving to Manchester United in 2004.

When: 9/28/2004

Most professional soccer pros are happy just to make it to Europe’s greatest club competition, but most players are not Wayne Rooney. Rooney marked his UCL debut in style by bagging a hat trick against Turkish side Fenerbache. He lit up Manchester that night, and made himself an instant hero in the eyes of the Old Trafford faithful. Wayne Rooney had arrived.

When: 4/24/2005

Newcastle United must’ve thought that they were about to escape Old Trafford with a famous victory after Darren Ambrose capitalized on a poor Tim Howard Clearance to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the half. Wayne Rooney had other ideas, though. The 19-year-old stepped up with just over half an hour remaining on the clock, and scored arguably the purest goal of his career. Just check out the connection Rooney gets on this volley with the outside of his boot. A sweeter strike you’ll struggle to find. That goal brought the home supporters to life, and spurred on a Wes Brown winner just 18 minutes later. From three points to none, Newcastle were introduced to Wayne Rooney the hard way.

When: 7/1/2006

While Wayne Rooney is already a United legend, he’s had a harder go of it while representing England at the international level. During the 2006 World Cup, a moment of real madness—and certainly not his last—cost Rooney and England a shot at advancing to the semis. The play started with a brief scrap for the ball, and ended with Rooney landing a boot to the groin of Portugal’s Ricardo Carvaho. To make matters worse, Rooney gets into it with his then-Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who appears to tell the ref about the incident. Rooney received a red card for his histrionics, and Portugal advanced to the semis in Germany.

When: 10/28/2006

A 10-match goalless drought might be a normality for some, but for Wayne Rooney and United fans it was cause for serious panic. Well, Rooney silenced the critics and the doubters by single-handedly dismantling the Bolton Wanderers in front of their home supporters. Two goals inside the opening 20 minutes had the naysayers pulling a complete 180, and one for good measure in the 89th minute erased any memory of a drought. Make it rain, Wazza.

When: 9/15/2009

Not for the first time in his career, Wayne Rooney was visibly annoyed after being substituted during a match. After being withdrawn during a Champions League group match against Besiktas, Rooney proceeded to sit in the dugout and throw his boots down in disgust. If that wasn’t enough disdain, Rooney then decided to have a few words with the home supporters. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s that you do not want to incite Turkish soccer supporters. Just don’t do it.

When: 2009/10

Normally when a superstar leaves a team there’s a huge void to fill. Teams struggle to replace the massive contributions of that individual, and it can cast serious doubt over their present and future situation. See Liverpool at the moment or an example. This could’ve been the case following Cristiano Rolando’s move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009. Ronaldo bagged 84 league goals in 157 appearances since arriving at United in 2003, so you would’ve been forgiven for thinking there might’ve been a fall off for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. Wayne Rooney not only stepped into the spotlight, but put the team on his back in the process. Wazza found the back of the net an astounding 34 times in 44 matches (in all competitions) during the season following Ronaldo’s move to Madrid, and had folks in Manchester saying, "Ronaldo, who?" He was recognized for his outstanding achievement by receiving the PFA Players' Player of the Year Award to top off his sensational season.

When: 9/4/2010

According to British newspaper, the Sunday Mirror, Wayne Rooney had sex with a prostitute in a hotel on several occasions. This of course occurring while his wife Coleen was pregnant with Rooney’s son. Nice one, Wayne. The accusation is that Rooney slept with 21-year-old Jennifer Thompson seven times over a four month period, and even escorted her around Manchester on dates. The Mirror also claimed that this wasn’t the first time Rooney had committed infidelity against Coleen since the two were married in 2008. Oddly enough, this wouldn’t be the last time Rooney was mentioned in the same breath as the word prostitute. Scoring hat tricks in Europe = king. Cheating on your pregnant wife with a 21-year-old prostitute = king douche.

When: 10/21/2010

It’s never a good look for a player when their desire to leave their current club is made public. That particularly rings true for superstars like Wayne Rooney. Back in 2010, it was revealed that Wayne Rooney wanted to leave Manchester United because the club "lacked ambition". Yikes. Rooney had just 18 months left on his contract at the time, and after a chat with United’s chief executive David Gill, he stated he wouldn’t be signing a new contract since the club wouldn’t grant him any assurances about seeking to bolster the squad in the future. You sure this wasn’t about the money, Wayne? Eventually, Rooney would go on to pen a new deal with United, but it wouldn’t be the first time reports of Rooney’s unhappiness at United were cast into the spotlight.

When: 2/12/2011

Does it get any sweeter than scoring an overhead kick against your crosstown rivals? We think not. Few will forget this golazo from Wayne Rooney during the Manchester Derby in 2011. The acrobatic technique on the smash, the inch-perfect placement of the strike, Joe Hart rooted to his spot in the City goal, and the Polish commentary to make the moment that much more special? Yes, this would prove the match winner in United’s 2-1 victory, for those wondering at home, and yes, this goal does have its own Facebook page. #King

When: 4/2/2011

This event more or less epitomizes the enigma that Wayne Rooney has been over the course of his career. The United man grabbed a hat trick in 14 minutes to erase West Ham’s 2-0 lead at home in a league match back in April of 2011, however, after scoring his third goal of the game, Rooney inexplicably cursed out the live camera in the corner of the pitch. Why, Wayne? Why? The FA took notice of the incident and responded with a two-match ban. This of course meant that Rooney went on to miss United’s FA Cup semi-final match against rivals Manchester City, where City defeated the Red Devils 1-0. Probably could’ve used a goal or two from Wazza at Wembley.

When: 5/12/2013

Manchester United was, and still is, in a period of instability following the departure of their longest-serving manager in club history, Sir Alex Ferguson. Well, Wayne Rooney thought he saw the writing on the wall after Fergie’s departure, and decided to make an informal transfer request to leave for greener pastures in the form of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. Who could blame him? This saga started after Ferguson allegedly claimed that Rooney had handed in a formal transfer request to the club, a report Rooney said was untrue and unfair of his former manager to state. Ferguson would go on to set the record straight that Rooney never formally submitted a request, but he didn’t say the striker made no mention at all of wanting to leave the club. Make of this what you will, and obviously Rooney stayed at United, but it’s yet another example of want-away Rooney surfacing in the press.

When: 9/21/2014

Wayne Rooney’s most recent display of King douchery occurred last month, during United’s 5-3 capitulation at the hands of newly-promoted side, Leicester City. United, under new captain Wayne Rooney, held a 3-1 lead with just over half an hour remaining in the match, but what happened after that was anything but a typical United performance. Rooney’s Red Devils gave up four consecutive goals following their third, and after Leicester tied the match at 3-3, Rooney tore into his charges on the field. Firing the team up is one thing, screaming at players is quite another. Obviously Rooney’s little tirade didn’t work, and it was definitely unbefitting of Manchester United’s latest captain.

After further review, it appears that Wayne Rooney falls slightly to the side of king douche. His pure skill is unquestionable, and his fieriness is something that plenty of managers wish they could instill in their players. But Rooney’s hot-headedness and ill temper continue to cost not only himself, but England and Manchester United. An Overhead kick to sink your crosstown rival is what legends are made of, but throwing your boots on the ground after being subbed off, and worse, stomping on an opposing player in frustration, is the kind of shit we can’t stand to see from professional athletes. Players should go out there with all the passion in the world, but when that passion turns to madness in the most critical moments, then you’re left with an unforgettable bad taste in your mouth. Keep banging in the goals, Wayne, but get your head in the game, too.