Joga Bonito
The Art of Football
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2014
- Messages
- 8,254
Ronaldo
What exactly was the difference?? Rooney practically carried us that season and his support cast consisted of Valencia and Nani. Ronaldo was supported by Rooney and Tevez. I know which two I would want as the support cast.The stats may have been closer but the importance and quality of the goals, as well as all round standard of play were not comparable.
Personally, I feel Rooney's performances in the 2009-10 season were overrated. He was never that player who would scare you when he picked up the ball 40m from goal in the same way Ronaldo was at United or even Rooney himself a few years earlier.
Is this parody? What the feck am I reading?Ronnie joined at a time when Chelsea looked unstoppable in the league and our squad was in a state of transition, with the likes of Djemba Djemba, Kleberson, Bellion and Liam Millar representing the club. The devil arrived at old trafford in the form of Malcolm Glazer intent on destroying the club from within, United fans were burning effigies of Fergie and demanding his immediate dismissal following some pretty horiffic singings on his part and let's not forget "that's bollox" gate. It was a dark time to be a United fan back then, the future was hopeless.
Enter Ronaldo, the saviour of our club. Seriously, the guy single handedly brought the club back from the brink of despair. We would be at the bottom of league 2 were it not for Ronnie's heroics. His impact was as significant, perhaps more so, than that of King Eric the Great and I don't say that lightly. Rooney, as great as he was, pales in comparison to Ronnie the Magician.
Ronnie joined at a time when Chelsea looked unstoppable in the league and our squad was in a state of transition, with the likes of Djemba Djemba, Kleberson, Bellion and Liam Millar representing the club. The devil arrived at old trafford in the form of Malcolm Glazer intent on destroying the club from within, United fans were burning effigies of Fergie and demanding his immediate dismissal following some pretty horiffic singings on his part and let's not forget "that's bollox" gate. It was a dark time to be a United fan back then, the future was hopeless.
Enter Ronaldo, the saviour of our club. Seriously, the guy single handedly brought the club back from the brink of despair. We would be at the bottom of league 2 were it not for Ronnie's heroics. His impact was as significant, perhaps more so, than that of King Eric the Great and I don't say that lightly. Rooney, as great as he was, pales in comparison to Ronnie the Magician.
This really.I assumed the OP was meant as a joke but obviously not.
One of the two quite simply isn't fit to lace the others boot - never has been.
Rooney doesn't warrant being mentioned in the same breath as Ronaldo, they're chalk and cheese.
Yeah so it didn't win the game did it? By that logic, Rooney s goal would have won United the 2011 final if Barca hadn't scored. But they did. Ronaldo scored and then we conceded. Then he missed a penalty and we would have lost if Terry hadn't slipped at the crucial moment and blasted his kick wide. Surely he didn't win us that game.
It's not that Ronaldo is about supporting cast. Just that Rooney was flanked by inferior players so it's obvious that you expect less goals. Not to mention Ronaldo only scored 26 in all competitions in 08/09 so it's not like he himself could keep it going consistently like he now does at RM either. He is obviously multiple levels above Rooney overall but based on his United career alone, it's highly debatable that he was all that superior.
What exactly was the difference?? Rooney practically carried us that season and his support cast consisted of Valencia and Nani. Ronaldo was supported by Rooney and Tevez. I know which two I would want as the support cast.
Rooney was fantastic that season, as good as Ronaldo was for us. Had we won the league or the CL that season many people on here would have been singing a different tune.
I always think it's odd how there is a substantial section of our fanbase who never forgave Rooney for trying to leave in 2010, but will pine for Ronaldo who actually went through with it.
His goal was cancelled out pretty much by his missed penalty in the shootout imo.
It was a goal that affected the result in a game you won. Ifs and buts aside, that makes it an important goal.
As for the second point, being part of a weaker side is relevant, but so too is the fact that for the majority of his United career Rooney played through the middle and Ronaldo was mostly positioned on the flank yet was still the team's primary goalscorer.
Ronaldo's goalscoring did drop but look at the goals he did score. The strikes out of nowhere in the away CL quarter and semi finals alone stand out as moments that show why you'd always have a slightly under par Ronaldo in your team ahead of a peak Rooney.
But Valencia and Nani were both primarily there to provide crosses for Rooney, while in 07-08 Rooney and Tevez were there to score goals just as much to create. It's not an apt comparison.
Ronaldo was still scoring solo goals and free kicks in 07-08. In 2009-10, Rooney was merely a very effective box player. No-one would ever argue that Drogba was on Ronaldo's level but he was just as prolific in Rooney's highest scoring season and won his side the double.
SAF on his final year dropped Rooney and he was getting ready to get rid of him. At the time Rooney was 27 or 28. There is no manager in the world who would want to get rid of Ronaldo, even today at 32.
I agree with SAF.
this doesn't make sense
I thought the idea of SAF would have sold Rooney is a myth? And in his final year, i can only think one significant game against Madrid where Rooney was dropped, can you tell me how many games he was dropped exactly that year?
That's just idiotic to say the least.
Firstly, Ronaldo had tevez and Rooney working hard in tandem with him too. Rooney had nani and Valencia. A stark drop in standards there.
Plus taking goals in 2 different matches is pointless. Ronaldo did nothing against the best Barca side in a final. Rooney scored a goal against them in another final. Does that make Rooney a better player?
We didn't win the final in 2008 due to Ronaldo. His goal was cancelled out pretty much by his missed penalty in the shootout imo.
Rooney has scored against every big team possible, he's dominated quarter and semi final of the CL, he scored a wonderful goal against Barca in the final. He was a major big game player for us.
I think they would've been comparable, although not equal. Rooney had a great claim on the 3rd spot in Ballon D'Or before that injury, he was incredible not only for us, but also for England (top scorer of the qualifications and close to 1 in 1 stats iirc). We were stronger than that Bayern side, which made it to the final; There is a possibility that uninjured Rooney would've transferred his form to the World Cup too...
What if, what if.
Wait what? Rooney is at least 5 years older.Ronaldo
It's hard to believe Rooney is the younger of the two
You know what they say-You either leave a hero or stay long enough to become a villian
Jokes aside for me Rooney would always be the bigger club legend. Inspite of everything he stayed and that's what is important. Ronaldo left, leaving at that time one of the best teams in the world to move to a club that was down in the doldrums, chasing some "childhood dream". I don't understand why this particular reason entitles him to sympathy from Utd fans. For me any player who actively tried to leave Utd to move to another club for no obvious footballing reason can never be a bigger legend than someone who gave us his best years and ran his body into the ground for us.
I have already replied to this point earlier in the thread.Strange comment.
One player wanted his boyhood dream and moved to another league with full respect for the club and manager the other wanted to move to another premier league rival because he doesn't like playing on the wings, held the club to ransom for bigger pay. Yet the later is considered a bigger legend that the other. Fans eh?![]()
As for City and Chelsea, it's the same myth propogated over and over again. When did Rooney say he wanted to move to either of these clubs? In fact no one apart from the media said this and yet people accept it as gospel. Just because City and Chelsea were interested in him doesn't mean he wanted to go there. He himself later came out and said he hadn't even thought where he would go if he left Utd? Maybe you don't want to believe him and that's fine but why believe media gossip over something coming from the horse's mouth?
Jokes aside for me Rooney would always be the bigger club legend. Inspite of everything he stayed and that's what is important. Ronaldo left, leaving at that time one of the best teams in the world to move to a club that was down in the doldrums, chasing some "childhood dream". I don't understand why this particular reason entitles him to sympathy from Utd fans. For me any player who actively tried to leave Utd to move to another club for no obvious footballing reason can never be a bigger legend than someone who gave us his best years and ran his body into the ground for us.
Is this parody? What the feck am I reading?
Wtf did I just read?
We sure did Ok before he came and sure did Ok after he left.
By footballing reason I mean things like wanting to play in a better team or wanting to challenge for trophies or even for more money as for the players football is a profession so it's logical they'd want to make more money.I'm not sure what you mean by no obvious footballing reason? His dream was to play for Madrid. It's not like he moved there because they could pay him more.
He gave us an advantage through his header. He then put us in a disadvantage with his penalty miss which was unimportant only because Terry slipped. Overall, I don't consider him to be our match winner that game. VdS was with his save on Anelka
It was a goal that affected the result in a game you won. Ifs and buts aside, that makes it an important goal.
As for the second point, being part of a weaker side is relevant, but so too is the fact that for the majority of his United career Rooney played through the middle and Ronaldo was mostly positioned on the flank yet was still the team's primary goalscorer.
Ronaldo's goalscoring did drop but look at the goals he did score. The strikes out of nowhere in the away CL quarter and semi finals alone stand out as moments that show why you'd always have a slightly under par Ronaldo in your team ahead of a peak Rooney.
But Valencia and Nani were both primarily there to provide crosses for Rooney, while in 07-08 Rooney and Tevez were there to score goals just as much to create. It's not an apt comparison.
Ronaldo was still scoring solo goals and free kicks in 07-08. In 2009-10, Rooney was merely a very effective box player. No-one would ever argue that Drogba was on Ronaldo's level but he was just as prolific in Rooney's highest scoring season and won his side the double.
I agree with most of what you said but I think Rooney knew that he was less important than Ronaldo at least towards the end of Ronaldo's time with us. I never forgot the look on Rooney's face when after a world club championship match in Japan, a club staff member came to relieve Ronaldo from an interview leaving Rooney behind. That clearly showed him the pecking order. When Ronaldo left Rooney seemed to believe that he should be accorded the same status that Ronaldo had, but as you said " Rooney has that same attitude but not the ability".Not sure I'm getting the question for this thread, but I do want to comment on this post. I've always had the impression that Rooney thought he was the main man, with Ronaldo supposed to be his less important sidekick. (Actually I think alot of the fanbase thought that was the natural order of things too back in the day.)
I agree that Rooney definitely thought that Nani was there just to feed him crosses, see the way Rooney treated Nani whenever Nani did something independent.
I guess there's comments that Messi and Ronaldo treat their teammates this way at Barca and RM, it's just that Rooney has that same attitude but not the ability.
Remember when Utd won the CL in Russia? How many minutes did Rooney play in that game?
I don't think Ronaldo's name is sung anymore than any other ex-player. Rooney's name will be sang plenty after he leaves.Itll be interesting to see whether Rooney's name is sung as regularly and as fervently as Ronaldo's still is, eight years after he has left. I doubt it will be.
It's not a question of who was our "match winner". The assertion that a player missing a pen in shootout cancels out his contribution makes no sense and it's one of the weirdest things football related that I have ever read.