Inspired Rooney confounds his ‘obituary’ writers again

LONDON:

An angry Wayne Rooney was adamant last weekend that his critics in the media were trying to write his sporting obituary. On Thursday, he picked the moment to demonstrate that reports of his footballing demise had been greatly exaggerated. With one bravura goal and another magical ‘no-look’ assist in the crucial 4-0 Europa League victory over Feyenoord at Old Trafford, England’s one-man footballing soap opera took a fresh twist after the most turbulent of weeks even by the 31-year-old’s dramatic standards. A week earlier, Rooney had apologized for published pictures that had supposedly been taken of him while socializing among a late-night wedding party while he was on international duty as England captain.

Just a few days later following United’s game against Arsenal, though, he had sounded rather less apologetic as he launched a spirited self-defense and attacked the “disgraceful” treatment he had endured. “It feels as if the media are trying to write my obituary and I won’t let that happen,” Rooney had said in a most uncharacteristically angry riposte. “I have not finished yet.” It was a courageous response, especially amid widespread speculation about a career that has appeared to be fading fast but, typically, Rooney’s appetite for a good fight was evident again as he chose a crucial night at Old Trafford to produce a landmark performance. — Reuters