Rooney is a great... but being a ‘lad’ has stopped him being even greater
WAYNE ROONEY was singing Oasis songs on the night out that ended with his arrest for drinkdriving.
He will certainly be looking back in anger.
There are few who don’t make serious mistakes in life, terrible errors of judgement.
Never mind the drinking sessions or being sparked out by Phil Bardsley or the gambling or the odd fag.
Laddishness is not to everyone’s taste, but it is not a crime. And, let’s face it, Rooney is a lads’ lad.
This, though, is a crime he is being charged with and it will be dealt with in a court of law. This is a serious mistake. If convicted, the shame of it will stick with Rooney for a long time. A lifetime, in fact.
If convicted, he will have to take whatever punishment comes his way and be thankful no one was injured, or worse. In that context, the football ramifications are relatively unimportant. But there are ramifications. Everton fans might not be too concerned, but Ronald Koeman will be.
Rooney likes a drink, that much has been evident long before he hit Piccolino restaurant, the Bubble Room bar and Symposium cocktail bar on Thursday afternoon, evening and night.
Again, nothing criminal in that but, taken to excess, it has to have an impact on any professional athlete’s performance.
Koeman reminded him of that when they spoke ahead of his emotional return to Everton.
He made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that he expected Rooney not only to follow his disciplinary code, but to lead by example, to behave like a senior pro. Koeman (below) does not want any sort of drinking culture. When Ross Barkley was punched in a city-centre bar back in April, Koeman was at pains to point out the player was not drinking alcohol. The manager himself has been enjoying some down time during the international break, but he will be incensed with how Rooney has spent his. The fallout at Everton will be the unwanted distraction in the build-up to the resumption of the Premier League campaign. The manager’s pre-match media duties, ahead of a meeting with Spurs, will be consumed by Rooney. The former England striker is in court the day after Everton visit Old Trafford on September 17 – again, his situation will hang over the club’s preparations. Rooney might well be disciplined by Koeman, but the longer-term consequences are harder to define.
This incident is final proof, if it were needed, that Rooney has never done the absolute utmost to squeeze the maximum out of his fantastic talent.
Even though he was off the following day and even though his next match is not till Saturday, Rooney went out at four in the afternoon and was arrested at two in the morning.
Whether it bothers you or not, it is pretty inconceivable behaviour from a player approaching 32, at the highest level of professional football just a few weeks into a season.
Can you imagine Zlatan Ibrahimovic – a 35-year-old Manchester United were desperate to re-sign – doing similar? Or any of the modern-day greats?
Rooney has had a brilliant, recordbreaking career for club and country.
This is a grim reminder it could have been better.