Wayne Rooney not world class says...................Joey Barton

[Pavilionaire]

By its very definition, each generation only throws up a few footballers that can be called ' world class ' These are the players that you will talk to your children and grandchildren about....Di Stefano, Pele, Eusebio, Best, Cruyff, Maradona, Zidane, Messi, Ronaldo. There are not 10 footballers in the world at present that will be talked about in 30 years time. There are two.
Rooney doesn't even come in that very select group of English players that could be called world class. Finney, Charlton R, Moore, Banks and Edwards ( although some will argue that it was such a relatively short career that he can't be judged properly ) Below these few come a group of players that are on the fringe of this elite. Matthews, Greaves, Haynes, Gascoigne ( could have made the top group if he had fulfilled his potential ) Shilton, Robson and Lineker.
I would put Rooney just below this top dozen. With the next group....e.g Ball, Peters, Clemence, Shearer, Owen, Wright ( Billy ) Wilson, Beckham, Ferdinand, Keegan, Gerrard etc. Very good players but just short of top class.

The organisation FIFPro, which is the World Player's Union, estimates that there are 65,000 professional footballers in the world, so if your definition of what is "world class" was limited to just the top 0.1% of all professional players you'd still be talking about 65 players. I think Rooney makes the Top 65 in the world - for me probably outside the Top 30 but still in the Top 65.

 

[Wozza]

So how many world class footballers are there in total? By the look of this thread about 10.

Well, let's say 11...

 

[red star portslade]

Rooney is a top player, but he has never hit the heights he should of.

The Reasons for this are :
1) 80 year old prostitutes
2) Chocolate éclairs.
3) Fags
4) Lager

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Barton clearly attention seeking. I dont like rooney but anyone can see he is a world class footballer

No he isn't, but could have been probably if he had applied himself.

 

[Wozza]

No he isn't, but could have been probably if he had applied himself.

Which is exactly what Barton was arguing.

 

[jameswestport]

He is world class. Any team in the world would have him. What more do you need?

 

[drew]

Rooney is a top player, but he has never hit the heights he should of.

The Reasons for this are :
1) 80 year old prostitutes
2) Chocolate éclairs.
3) Fags
4) Lager

Would you agree that, despite never playing in a major finals of a tournament, George Best was world class and he had a few vices!

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

He is world class. Any team in the world would have him. What more do you need?

what's that bit based on?

 

[The Stout Yeoman]

Im surprised his other comment this week hasnt made it on here!!




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[jameswestport]

what's that bit based on?

My own opinion

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

He is world class. Any team in the world would have him. What more do you need?

Bayern Munich (Franz Beckenbauer) stated he could not give anything to his team so your statement is not correct.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Im surprised his other comment this week hasnt made it on here!!




https://twitter.com/BBCSporf/status/451459267984252928"]

https://twitter.com/BBCSporf/status/451459267984252928[/URL]

Has he re-invented himself as Joseph Barton?

 

[jameswestport]

Bayern Munich (Franz Beckenbauer) stated he could not give anything to his team so your statement is not correct.

Who the **** are you to say I am incorrect and he is correct. Pep would have him in his team in a heartbeat. Its my opinion deal with it.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

Who the **** are you to say I am incorrect and he is correct. Pep would have him in his team in a heartbeat. Its my opinion deal with it.

well Beckenbauer calls most of the shots at Bayern....HT was merely providing you with one club that wouldn't have him. No need to get so hoity toity about it

(real madrid and barcelona are two more btw....)

 

[pauldcpfc]

well Beckenbauer calls most of the shots at Bayern....HT was merely providing you with one club that wouldn't have him. No need to get so hoity toity about it

(real madrid and barcelona are two more btw....)

City wouldn't either.

Is he one of the top 10 forwards in the world? No.

When was the last time he took over a game like Bale did for Spurs last season, in a team no worse than the current Moan Utd one.

 

[jameswestport]

well Beckenbauer calls most of the shots at Bayern....HT was merely providing you with one club that wouldn't have him. No need to get so hoity toity about it

(real madrid and barcelona are two more btw....)

Hoity toity nice phrase

Maybe Beckenbauer was just trying to sell newspapers??

Barca and real would love to have him. He has the right work ethic for Barca for when they dont have the ball and im sure he could adapt to their attacking style of play. I think he'd get on for Madrid as well.

 

[Jbanged]

On his day he is world class, the way he attacks and also tracks back. However, he is too inconsistent to be world class. Or maybe it's laziness.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]