Rooney review: A tribute to an underappreciated legend

Story:
The documentary details the mercurial rise of England’s ‘Golden Boy’, Wayne Rooney, from an angry teenager brimming with potential at Everton, to Manchester United and England’s all-time leading goals scorer. The highs and lows of his vibrant professional and personal life are also scrutinised in the documentary.

Review:
English football commentator Clive Tyldesley famously said, “Remember the name, Wayne Rooney!”, as a 16-year-old Wayne Rooney ended Arsenal’s 33-match unbeaten run in the league after scoring a spectacular goal from distance at Goodison Park in 2002. A few years later he would end another Arsenal unbeaten run, the 49-match record-breaking streak of the famous ‘Invincible’ Arsenal team. But by this time around, Rooney had swapped the blue of Everton for the red of Manchester United, as he won a penalty and scored the second goal in United’s 2-0 win over the Gunners. The match itself is widely remembered for several reasons, and Rooney has gone on to be a thorn in Arsenal’s side for the rest of his playing career, scoring 12 in total — the most by a player against the North Londoners.

Tyldesley's premonition about Rooney was accurate, the Englishman would replace David Beckham as the nation’s biggest footballing icon. The crux of what the documentary explores is exactly that — Rooney succeeding Beckham as England’s talisman. The similarities are hard to ignore, both players would captain England, both would be fan-favourites at Old Trafford, both would be known for scoring spectacular goals from the halfway line, and both would be demonised by the unforgiving British press for receiving a red card for England in major tournaments. This is in fact mentioned by both players in the documentary. However, the two footballing legends couldn’t be more further apart in several other aspects. While Rooney was a rugged, no-nonsense, street style all-round genius with a temper, Beckham was a more mild-mannered winger with a wand of a right-foot. But the most contrasting aspect was how they presented themselves to the public; Beckham was, or is, a fashionable celebrity who lives for the spotlight, whereas Rooney shied away from the attention, or at least attempted to.

The documentary makes it a point to stress the fact that Wayne Rooney or Wazza, as the fans like to call him, is regarded as the successor to Paul Gascoigne aka Gazza, and not David Beckham. And just like Gascoigne, there are many that believe Rooney did not fulfil his potential, even though his goals tally and trophy collection would suggest otherwise. Some of the biggest names in world football today reminisce of having played with or against or having worked with Rooney. His former managers at club and international levels such as David Moyes, Sven-Göran Eriksson, and José Mourinho give excellent insight into the man fans call ‘the white Pelé’. Premier League legends Gary Neville and Thierry Henry also give their thoughts on some of the ups and downs of his career. His wife Coleen and the rest of his family are also featured in this documentary as it attempts to flesh out the man behind the legend. It also explores his various battles with alcoholism and infidelity, as a result of becoming a star at the tender age of 16.

Unlike Neymar’s documentary, Neymar: Perfect Chaos, which was released on Amazon Prime last month, Rooney does not sugarcoat or attempt to justify some of the mistakes the Englishman has made during his career. It also steers clear from glorifying the glamorous lives led by footballers these days. Despite its many positives, the documentary’s reluctance to delve into Rooney’s second falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, his brief return as a player for Everton, and his truly remarkable journey as a young manager steadying an ailing Derby County riddled with transfer bans, player exodus, has held it back from being an exceptionally well-made documentary.

Verdict:
In another universe, Wayne Rooney would be regarded as one the greatest footballers ever. His raw ability, his commitment to the cause, his record goals tally, and his medals haul is a testament to his footballing IQ. But he will forever be remembered as the one who was unable to match Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The documentary does justice in highlighting the best and worst of the man they call ‘the white Pelé'.