Why Is Wayne Rooney Immune from Criticism for Club and Country?

There is something of a disconnect between what Wayne Rooney has achieved and the manner in which he has achieved it. On the face of things, he is the undoubted vanguard of his English footballing generation, collecting record after record for club and country. An assessment of the forward’s true legend must go deeper than that, however.

Rooney’s binary success betrays the real fortune—or misfortune—he has enjoyed—or endured—over the past few years. It is undeniable that for both England and Manchester United the 30-year-old is in decline. He is no longer the formidable force of nature he once was. In fact, it’s questionable whether he is a force at all at present.

And yet Rooney is seemingly immune from all criticism from within the game. Not only has he kept his place for club and country, he is captain of both teams. Furthermore, when media and fans have the audacity to question the striker’s performances, a staunch defence is invariably launched by those who should know better.

Take Sam Allardyce’s response to questions of Rooney’s role in England’s World Cup qualification win over Slovakia, in which the 30-year-old played in a somewhat undefined midfield role. “Wayne played wherever he wanted,” he said, per Dominic Fifield of the Guardian. “He was brilliant and controlled midfield. I can’t stop Wayne playing there.”

But why can’t he stop playing Rooney there? Why has manager after manager, from David Moyes to Louis Van Gaal, from Allardyce to Jose Mourinho, given him chance after chance when he far from merited it? What has he got on them? What do football’s inner circle see in Rooney that the rest of us can’t?

Well, that’s just the thing. They would have you believe that they can see something in the England and Manchester United forward that nobody else can. They claim a tactical high ground on the basis of their background in the game. Allardyce did this after Sunday’s win over Slovakia. He said:

This is the most decorated outfield player in England. …

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