Out to get Roo
WAYNE DEMONS A LESSON TO ALL
WAYNE ROONEY has a documentary to sell – and is making a fine job of doing just that.
And let’s not lose sight of the fact that the England and Manchester United legend has been paid millions to bare his soul in discussing what was a remarkable career both on and off the pitch.
It’s safe to assume Amazon have got their money’s worth.
But Rooney still deserves huge praise for the way in which he has addressed his failings by providing a candid and emotional reflection of some of the mistakes he made.
We thought we knew all about Rooney’s life, because it has been plastered across the front and back pages of newspapers ever since he burst onto the scene as a precocious teenager at Everton.
Some of it made grim reading, too, but what we never realised was just how dark the demons were for one of English football’s greatest ever players.
Few players generate the same attention these days as Rooney used to do.
He was England’s brightest star and captain, playing for the biggest club in the world at that time, for the greatest manager of all time, in the shape of Sir Alex Ferguson.
But there is still a huge significance in what Rooney went through at the height of his fame because there will be countless players suffering in silence today, just like the current Derby County manager used to do back then.
Speaking about the “mistakes” he had made, Rooney said: “That could have been girls, it could have been drink-driving, which I’ve done, it could have been killing someone, you could kill yourself, and that’s a bad place to be. I knew I needed help, to save myself but also save my family.
“Ten, 15 years ago, I couldn’t go into a dressing room and say, ‘I’m struggling with alcohol, I’m struggling mental health-wise.’ I couldn’t do that.”
Rooney just wanted to be normal because he’s a human being who makes mistakes, like we all do.
But the fame and fortune make this wish an impossible dream for all those who make it to the top in one of the most unforgiving and intrusive sports in the world.
Rooney’s career is the stuff of legend. He won 120 caps, is England and United’s greatest ever goalscorer and won 16 major trophies, including the Champions League.
But despite all his success, imagine how much more he could have achieved had he looked after himself better.
The modern-day player should make a point of sitting down to watch the Rooney documentary because there are some very valuable lessons to be learned from someone who is so obviously a flawed genius. We’ve seen the image of footballers take a battering of late.
And there will be others going through difficulties we don’t know about who choose to emulate Rooney by being reluctant to air their problems.
Like Rooney says himself: “You try and be normal, but you can’t. I think a lot of players would say, ‘I’d rather be a normal person than have this.’”
But if some players can somehow benefit from what Rooney went through and heed his advice, the cost of the documentary will be considered money well spent.
Despite his success, imagine how much more he could have achieved