Totally agree. Owen was on a downward spiral as soon as he had the bad injuries and lost his pace. As you say, nothing to do with the age he started playing professional football.
The fair comparison is between Rooney and Ronaldo. At Man United they were both seen as being capable of going on...
What does Rooney's charity do? Help people quit smoking, or with an addiction to shagging hookers (or anything in a skirt) while married? Drink driving counselling maybe?