Sir Alex: Wayne Rooney Is England’s Pele – But White, Completely White

Alan Duffy

14th, September 2011

13 Comments

By Alan Duffy

According to Sir Alex Ferguson, follicaly-enhanced striker Wayne Rooney is the closest thing the English game has to the great Brazilian Pele.

“Look at Pele,” said the Scot. “He was a very aggressive attacker as well who could look after himself. So can Rooney. There are similarities that way in strength, speed and determination.

Fergie also adds, rather bizarrely: “But he is white, completely white.” Just in case we didn’t realise.

It’s fair to say that the United striker is one of the most gifted players that Britain has produced in years, but is he reaching a truly world-class level now? Surely he needs to do it for England in the big competitions before he can be compared to the greats of the world game?

Posted in Man Utd

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13 Comments

  1. Bobbie says:

    Messi, Mr. World-Class, has yet to show up on an international stage.

  2. Matt says:

    Arguably, Messi has never been that great in international competitions, but is regarded by many as the greatest player of all time. So why does Rooney have to, to be compared to the greats?

  3. Jay says:

    United > England

  4. fafaf says:

    Does Ferguson say he’s as good as Pele? No, he just says there are similarities between them.

  5. Jimbo says:

    nah, fuck england. it’s not just about rooney when it comes to england it’s about the rest of the disappointing squad. ron and messi have both proven to be world class but both portugal and argentina aren’t exactly polishing those trophy cabinets. rooney is already world class, i bet you couldn’t find a player who wouldn’t want him on the squad.
    a bit confused by the white, very white comment though!

  6. Sultan says:

    Agree with Bobbie and Matt..Messi wins all these awards for playing for BARCA…FIFA/UEFA don’t look matter into internationals and other things that the plays for..so biased !!!

  7. Red Devilish says:

    It’s going to take more than just Rooney to make England win. If the rest of the squad were half as good as him then they could get some silverware, but they are not.

  8. AJM says:

    If Capello fields a team centered around United’s young English talent, peppering in the likes of Cahill, Wilshere, Cole, and Hart, Rooney probably can become an international great. Playing him in his best position would help too.

  9. Montesquieu says:

    “According to Sir Alex Ferguson”

    Stop the presses, this buffon has spoken again. For someone who hates the media, he’s the first moron to always go blabbing about what he thinks.

  10. chimpo says:

    this features the brilliant line

    “That prompted Ferguson to doubt Jesus, although not Rooney’s potential to be remembered among the greats”

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/sep/13/wayne-rooney-pele-manchester-united

  11. Charlie Adam says:

    Nah he’s shite tbh.

  12. Varun says:

    We have diverged into another parallel Universe with this.

  13. Montesquieu says:

    Anyway, at least Rooney plays in one of the top leagues in the world. Pele plied his career in a small club in Brazil. Moving only to the United States (yes, the United States, which was probably a step up from Brazil) once he was in the twilight of his career.

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