Wayne Rooney, one of England’s all-time great soccer players, has made a sub-specialty of the instant splash. He made one as a 16 year-old for Everton in 2002 when his late wonder goal against Arsenal ended the Gunners 30-match unbeaten run, making Rooney the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at the time. “Remember the name, Wayne Rooney,” the match commentator instructed.
Rooney was also an instant success in international football. His outstanding performance in the 2004 European Championship (his best tournament ever for England) helped earn him a transfer to Manchester United. He would become United’s all-time leading scorer.
Rooney’s return to Everton also started brilliantly. He scored another wonder goal on Everton’s pre-season tour, scored in his regular season debut, and amassed 10 EPL goals in the first half of the season, before fading badly due in part to injuries.
Rooney’s next stop was Washington, D.C. where he almost singlehandedly revived D.C. United’s fortunes. However, “the missus” never became acclimated to life in the D.C. area, and it’s unclear whether Wayne himself did.
Thus, Rooney returned to England after less than a season and a half season with D.C. United. He became a player and assistant coach for Derby County in England’s second tier of football.
Derby County has a proud tradition, but has been out of the Premier League since 2008. Recently, the club has been notable mainly for near misses in its attempts to return to the EPL.
This season, by the time Rooney became eligible to play (on January 1), Derby County was closer to being relegated to England’s third tier than it was to promotion. Could Rooney spark an instant turnaround?
Yes, he could. In his Derby County debut, he captained his new club to a 2-1 victory over Barnsley. Playing as a central midfielder, Rooney assisted on Derby’s first goal. From midway inside Barnsley’s half, Rooney bent a free kick over the defense and onto the foot of Jack Marriott who finished first time from 12 yards out. Rooney was also involved in the second goal. He sent “a lovely cross field ball” to Andre Wisdom, who set up Martyn Waghorn for the winner.
Barnsley sits in the relegation zone, so Derby’s success in that match was to be expected. However, the next match was against quality EPL opposition — Crystal Palace, currently in ninth place — in the FA Cup.
Derby won that contest, too. According to the BBC’s match report:
Rooney was highly influential in the tie from a deep-lying midfield role. . . .
The 34-year-old former Manchester United and Everton man rarely stretched his legs beyond a canter, but he was the heartbeat of Derby’s creative threat. Rooney had 77 touches in the match – more than any Palace player.
In a deep-lying midfield role, Rooney arrowed pinpoint passes to the willing runs of team-mates as he made 35 passes in Palace’s half – the most of anyone in the Derby side.
Explosiveness and attacking swagger has characterised the bulk of Rooney’s career, but this was a display embodied by poise, temperament and guile.
The BBC named him man of the match.
Unfortunately, Derby County is so far behind the pack that its chances of promotion this year are slim. By next year, it’s not clear how much Rooney will have left in the tank and whether he will be injury free. At Everton, the second time around, he faded in the second half of the season. At D.C. United, his second season, though quite good, did not live up to his first.
Meanwhile, as player-coach, Rooney may be paving the way for a career in management. The best of his older peers in the England teams of ten years ago have already made that move.
Steven Gerrard is a successful manager for Rangers, a top Scottish club. Frank Lampard did a good job managing Derby County last season and, so far, is succeeding as the head man at Chelsea. John Terry is in his second year as the top assistant at Aston Villa, who are back in the EPL after being promoted last season.
In a few years, Rooney might get his shot. He received rave reviews for his locker room presence at D.C. United, and has become a mature presence on the playing field, as well.
The BBC notes that, against Crystal Palace, “when tempers frayed between both sets of players after a clash between [Tom] Huddlestone and [Luka] Milivojevic in the second half, it was telling that Rooney tried to intervene as peacemaker.”
There was a time when Rooney would have been in the middle of clash. In those days, the idea of Rooney as a manager seemed far fetched. Not any longer.
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