Zidane-Gerrard is the best player in the world.

[ibby]

He is very injury prone for starters and he is pretty far from being great in my opinion. What do you define a great player by? I think he needs to have a few great seasons before we label that tag on him. So far for Man utd he hasn't really dominated a season, he has been superb in patches and then his form will dry up or he will get injured. His best season for me was in 05/06 when they didn't win anything. Good player and he is only young but I wouldn't

You're right, at least two excellent seasons behind him to be considered "great".

As for your question, hard to put a finger on it, consistent performances, influence on teams and his technical ability mixed into one. Rooney has yet to achieve any of the aforementioned properly yet, hence why he is not a "great" player. Very good one that you cannot deny. You can clearly see United's attack improve dramatically when Rooney is on the field.

 

[ricky1985]

Please start watching United more, Tevez has been given more than enough chances to prove his worth and has failed each time, before the start of the season the management along with the fans thought that this was going to be his breakthrough season because last summer was the first summer he had off during his time in England, he has since then failed to prove his worth.

I'm not saying Tevez is a great player or anything, just that he is in the same bracket as Rooney - good player, nothing more, nothing less.

Rooney was far from anonymous, he scored against Roma and played well against Chelsea in the final. The reason he came off was because he was bloody knackered and looked like he was injured.

I thought he was completely anonymous, and contributed next to nothing in the final.
You've got to understand he is playing for a team that is functioning optimally, controlling games, players in their absolute peak. A team enabling Cristiano Ronaldo to score 42 goals in a season, Rooney couldn't have it any easier and he is still nothing more than a good player.

Okay, now you're worrying me, I never said he was a "great" player.

And please end this talk of scoring against "s**t teams". This season he has scored against Croatia, Chelsea, Manchester City, Wigan, Fulham (twice) and Celtic. So 7 of his 13 goals this season came against either the second best team in the country, the best team in Scotland, a good international side and sides in the top 10. :roll:

Do me a favour, so Rooney scores one of England's FOUR goals against Croatia, where Theo Walcott got a hattrick, then scored against Chelsea, in one of their worst performances in their history, a game where even Dimitar Bottlejob managed to look half decent in, and that proves most of his goals don't come against **** or mediocre opposition. Man City, Fulham, Wigan and Celtic - are you joking when you list them as good teams?

We've debated this to death now. You've got your opinion and I've got mine. Rooney's a good, but immensely overrated player, a hell of a lot of English football fans, and football 'experts' would tell you he is 'world class', yet you're not even prepared to concede he's 'great' (surely the terms great and world class are synonymous with eachother?).
You disputed me calling him overrated and yet it seems patently obvious that we both don't think he is as good as what general consensus in this country would lead you to believe?

 

[progman07]

Gerrard is a really good player. Best in the world? Not worth debating because you can't compare players of this calibre, everybody's going to have different opinions.

Wins a lot of games for Liverpool, and scores important goals, and it's not his fault the team he plays at is ****.

 

[ibby]

I'm not saying Tevez is a great player or anything, just that he is in the same bracket as Rooney - good player, nothing more, nothing less.

Nope, Rooney is better than Tevez, by quite a margin. If you have watched United over the past couple of seasons this will not be disputable.

I thought he was completely anonymous, and contributed next to nothing in the final.

In the first half Rooney was excellent, 2nd half Chelsea picked up their game and were unlucky not to win it.

You've got to understand he is playing for a team that is functioning optimally, controlling games, players in their absolute peak. A team enabling Cristiano Ronaldo to score 42 goals in a season, Rooney couldn't have it any easier and he is still nothing more than a good player.

You realise how many assists he had last season? 13, and he isn't even their set-piece taker. So last season in the league, 12 goals and 13 assists, well done Wayne.

Do me a favour, so Rooney scores one of England's FOUR goals against Croatia, where Theo Walcott got a hattrick, then scored against Chelsea, in one of their worst performances in their history, a game where even Dimitar Bottlejob managed to look half decent in, and that proves most of his goals don't come against s**t or mediocre opposition. Man City, Fulham, Wigan and Celtic - are you joking when you list them as good teams?

, so basically you want him to score against Arsenal (which he's done numerous times), Chelsea (again he's done) and Liverpool (which he's also done), your point is so flawed it is laughable. The fact is he can and has scored against top top opposition.

We've debated this to death now. You've got your opinion and I've got mine. Rooney's a good, but immensely overrated player, a hell of a lot of English football fans, and football 'experts' would tell you he is 'world class', yet you're not even prepared to concede he's 'great' (surely the terms great and world class are synonymous with eachother?).
You disputed me calling him overrated and yet it seems patently obvious that we both don't think he is as good as what general consensus in this country would lead you to believe?

No because the general consensus has shifted, which I stated earlier.

 

[DOUBLE-YOU]

1. Gerrard is the best center midfield player in the world. Best player in the world? I don't agree.

2. Currently he is a better player than Scholes, however i think Scholes in his prime was better. Technically Scholes can't be touched, what Gerrard has over Scholes is his industry and tackling ability. These are characteristics of the British game. Put both players in another country and Scholes would be hailed as the better player.

3. Wayne Rooney is a great player, but he is vastly over rated. It's because he is English and the press in this country see him as the new shining light. It's similar to how we over rate Jack Wilshere or Theo.

 

[krengon]

He is the picture boy for the Premier league and Sky Sports hype-machine, and if he were Argentinian and playing for United people would relaise he's not even as good as Carlos Tevez.

He's got talent, and does the odd amazing thing. A great pass or strike, but the ridiculously low frequency is what stops him being a great player. Usually when he scores it's against Fulham or Middlesborough, and he is so easily marked out of a game when he faces top, top opposition.

ok, I don't like Rooney at all.. and he is nowhere near being the best player in the world, but that is just wrong.. Rooney is alot better than Tevez.. I would say Rooney is one of the most important players in Uniteds attacking system.

and about the low frequency thing, Rooney was second only to Ronaldo in terms of Goals/assists per min. played last season.. and that was a season where he was injured alot and people generally thought he was poor..

now, I don't think he is a world class player, but he is better than just "good".. I don't know about England, but people from my place seems to think he has stagnated alot, but yet he delivers for Manu on a high level (almost) every season.. I think it was 05/06 season when he had a really amazing season for United.. The thing about Rooney, is that scoring goals isn't his main contribution to Manu, he has alot more to offer in other parts of the game..

 

[ricky1985]

The last thing I want to do is talk about Wayne Rooney. So IMO he is a good player, with no real gifts, other than he is a bloody hard worker, playing for the best team, with it as easy as he could have it, and he still isn't tearing up any trees. Thankyou and goodnight.

 

[krengon]

lol fair enough.. not too keen to support him either.. so I'll agree to disagree

 

[ibby]

A sign of a defeated man.

 

[Shadow Moses]

How that equates to being defeated I'll never know

 

[ibby]

In my pathetic world, it does.

 

[regele]

Not wanting to spend all your day arguing something on the internets when you know at the end of the day you'll have achieved nothing: The sign of defeat indeed.

 

[ibby]

Sarcasm skills on this forum is worrying.

 

[AnthonyG]

Sarcasm skills on this forum is worrying.

Sarcasm recognition in a non-verbal medium is often based solely upon established patterns and previous comments and/or views. If one is not up to the task of conveying (un-)ambiguously or, at least, semi-conceivably said sarcasm then 'wink', 'wink' away. Emphasis, in the true sense of the word, is an acquired skill and not always a simple given.

 

[Rahul]

Best player in the world???

Heck hes not the best player in the team he captains.

 

[Tony Montana]

The last thing I want to do is talk about Wayne Rooney. So IMO he is a good player, with no real gifts, other than he is a bloody hard worker, playing for the best team, with it as easy as he could have it, and he still isn't tearing up any trees. Thankyou and goodnight.

I know I'm so late on this, but you could just say that Ronaldo is able to score 42 goals because he plays for the best team and has so much service from excellent players.

 

[kamikaze80]

first off, just cos it's zidane's opinion doesnt mean it has any credibility. second, gerrard is indeed a world class player. third, rooney is an amazing player as well. to say that he's just about work rate is flat out wrong. i loathe everything about him, but he's a fantastic player. he and tevez are pretty similar, now that i think about it.

 

[Alfonso]

Best player in the league on form?

 

[thegame24]

Not really, scoring pens and free kicks nothing to go mad about

 

[ricky1985]

Best player in the league on form?

Hands down, there's no one playing better.