Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Former Premier League striker Jermain Defoe has praised Wayne Rooney for qualities that went beyond goals and assists, pointing to the former England captain’s humility as a key reason behind his career.
Speaking on The Warm-Up podcast by William Hill, Defoe recalled playing with Rooney and described him as one of the finest footballers England has produced. He placed equal importance on Rooney’s behaviour away from matches, where he saw someone who cared about other people.
That character showed itself during games too. Defoe said Rooney would tell him to make particular runs and promise to find him, making him feel Rooney wanted his teammate to score. For Defoe, that attitude separated Rooney from forwards who could react badly when another striker scored after starting as a substitute.
Rooney’s record gives Defoe’s praise plenty of context. He scored 253 goals for Manchester United, the club’s highest total, while his Premier League career produced 208 goals and 103 assists in 491 appearances. He won five league titles at Old Trafford and lifted the Champions League in 2008. He finished his England career with 53 goals from 120 caps.
Wayne Rooney could deliver elite attacking football in different ways
Defoe’s strongest example came from Rooney’s willingness to change his role at Manchester United. Rooney spent several seasons operating from a wide position while Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez took greater central responsibility.
That sacrifice mattered because Rooney still possessed the instincts of a striker. He accepted that role because Sir Alex Ferguson’s side needed balance and space for its attackers. United won three Premier League titles from 2006-07 to 2008-09 then.
Defoe believes Rooney’s ability to see beyond numbers made him unusual. He recalled how ordinary passes could force a striker to receive the ball, take several touches and then face defenders again. Rooney and Rafael van der Vaart could spot the run early and place the ball beyond a centre-back, allowing Defoe to attack it in stride.
Here is his full excerpt:
“Wayne Rooney was special,” he said. “I could talk about his footballing ability for hours because he is one of the best players England has ever produced, but away from football he is so humble. He has so much love for people; you see it, and you feel it. Because of how he is as a person, good things were always going to happen for him.
“He was so natural, and he enjoyed it. He used to tell me to make runs, and he would find me. I got the feeling that he wanted me to score. To be like that, you have to be a special person. I played with a lot of centre forwards who, if they’re on the bench and you score, you can see that they’re raging. Rooney was completely different. He would score goals, but it wasn’t about that for him – it was about winning.
“He could do everything. He scored a lot of goals when he was young but then sacrificed that for a few years at Manchester United to become a winger and allow Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to do what they do. He was humble enough to be on the side of that but knew that it was helping them to win the Premier League. That’s all he was focused on.”
When asked if Rooney was the best player he’d played with, Defoe said: “Yes, in terms of centre forwards or players that were closer to me on the pitch. He was so clever. He had a picture in his mind, and he could just see certain things.
“There are two players I could say that about. Most players, you’d make runs, and they’d pass to you, which is fine. With Rooney and Rafael van der Vaart, they’d slip the pass on the other side of the centre-back so I could run onto it and finish, rather than playing it to me and then I’d have to take two or three touches. Those two players were the ones who were just on another level.”
Could Manchester United still develop forwards with Rooney’s range?
That raises a point for Manchester United. Modern academies demand clear roles and measurable output, but Rooney showed the value of developing several sides of an attacker’s game.
A striker who can finish, create, drift wide, press and read defensive gaps gives a manager more options than a specialist finisher. Rooney’s 103 Premier League assists underline that creative side of his game.
That versatility can cost players headline numbers while they serve the team. Rooney accepted that trade during his peak years, and United collected trophies as a result. For current strikers, Defoe’s story raises a fair question: Are clubs giving young forwards enough freedom to become complete footballers, rather than simply efficient scorers?