Amid sordid allegations about the Manchester United striker’s private life, England captain Steven Gerrard remarked that even footballers are human.
The thing about Rooney is that his entire career has been built around the notion that he is more than a mere mortal.
Whether it was his stunning strike against Arsenal when barely out of short trousers at Everton, his outstanding displays at Euro 2004 or his debut hat-trick upon his £25m move to United, his career has been right out of the pages of a comic book.
So when Glen Johnson’s 10th minute cross rolled across the six-yard box, who else but Rooney would be on the end of it?
He will rarely score a simpler goal for his country, but given the week he’s had, it was heaven sent.
Without an international goal in 2010 – including a miserable World Cup, when his relationship with the supporters was tested to the limit – how Rooney will have delighted at seeing the ball nestle in the back of the net.
Emotion
Not that it was greeted with any explosion of emotion – rather a restrained fist pump, which probably pointed to his acceptance that there is still a long road ahead.
None of the allegations into his private life have been proven – but that will matter little on the terraces from Tyneside to London’s East End as opposition fans revel in his personal woes.
Such is Rooney’s celebrity that there is nowhere to hide. Even with such a carefully sculpted public image, the 24-year-old is not impervious to adverse publicity.
He is rewarded well for his fame – around £140,000 a week at United, with a new contract set to be signed, as well as his numerous endorsements.
But for football fans, it is on the pitch where he will ultimately be judged – and where more often than not, he has delivered – last night included.
In the bosom of England’s hardcore travelling faithful, he was given a generous reception in Switzerland.
It might have been a very different story had it been in front of the day-trippers at Wembley – as discovered by John Terry and Ashley Cole when they endured their own personal problems.
But Rooney may find things different when back in his club colours – and he could hardly have asked for a more daunting trip than a return to Goodison Park on Saturday.
Relations between the striker and the fans he used to share a stand with when an Everton supporter himself, are frayed beyond repair.
Abuse
The subject of intense abuse from the people who used to idolise him each time he returns to his spiritual home, the “revelations” by Jennifer Thompson will only provide his detractors with another stick to beat him with.
Whether that will be replicated up and down the land remains to be seen.
And whether it will be too much for the broadest of shoulders will also become apparent in the weeks and months ahead.
So far, in his short career, Rooney has displayed a near superhuman ability to cope with the pressures of a modern-day footballer.
Whether it be the expectation of being a nation’s saviour, the talisman of the biggest club in the world or one half of the glossy magazines’ dream couple – Rooney has handled it with consummate ease.
An ease not dissimilar to the manner in which Tiger Woods coped with being the most recognisable face in the history of sport.
For the best part of 15 years Woods seemed impregnable, dominating the world of golf and changing the face of sports merchandising, before revelations about his own private life came to light last year.
The iceman finally melted with an alarming dip in form in light of the breakdown of his marriage and has had to rely on a wild card pick to make the USA’s Ryder Cup team at Celtic Manor next month.
If last night was anything to go by, Rooney looks far from being weighed down under the pressure of his off-the-field concerns.
But if ever there was a story to serve as a warning to the forward, it is that of Woods’. Tweet
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Well done Rooney...still scoring away from home
Meanwhile SIX yes that SIX! Manchester CIty players are on the field at the same time for England. But of course we wouldn't expect that to be the big News in a MANCHESTER based newspaper would we? Oh no Wayne Rooney finally doing his job (scoring) for England is a much bigger news item!
Well done Wayne, do your talking on the pitch and dont let it get to you! Glad he got a goal!
Actually thought Rooney was poor last night, especially as most of his passing was wayward.
"Was anyone really surprised" indeed.....City running the England team,Rooney scores with a tap-in...and guess what the MUEN headlines are all about?YCMIU.
Of course we will all have to wait and see how the fallout of this scandal will affect Rooney. And of course Tiger Woods can be cited as an example of what fate might yet befall our Wayne.
But there are major differences between the two sportsmen that Robson fails to spot. Tiger Woods is a wonderful golfer, of that there is no doubt. Like Roger Federer, he is arguably the greatest there has been in his chosen sport. However, Woods was 'encouraged' from his tender years to play golf, was veritably driven to be the best in the way that many middle class American parents push their talented kids to succeed at the most lucrative sports. That he became the very best, and enjoyed the fabulous fame and trappings that naturally followed was, in my opinion, always at a high cost. His formative years were probably much different to that of a 'normal' kid, more likely akin to Michael Jackson, whereby his emotional development amongst his peers was stunted by the strict golfing regime required to push him to the very top. Throughout history we have seen how some of the the great figures have been emotionally blighted by parents exploiting their child genius. I cited Michael Jackson as one, a modern day version of arguably the greatest child genius of all, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Tiger Woods always struck me as rather insular in his outwood persona, any hint of a personality appearing somewhat contrived. I would suggest that his struggles now are more to do with the fact that he has suffered a stunted development due to the strict golfing regime that dominated his upbringing, which deprived him of a normality enjoyed by most other youngsters. Put short, faced with his first real crisis in life, he has not the developed 'backbone' to deal with it.
Rooney is entirely different. He learned his trade on the streets of Liverpool, a working class boy raised in a working class way. That he was blessed with a God given talent was all that differed him from any of his mates. And I have little doubt that, as a child, he had mates, as well as family, all of whom led relatively normal lives. He would have experienced the struggles and relative hardship that us working class experience, and thus would have developed the mental toughness that will now see him through this crisis.
My guess is that when Rooney takes to the pitch, he will play as he always does. Throughout his career he has habitually suffered dips in form, so any future dip being attributed to this scandal will be questionable anyway!
Paul, Whalley Range
Well done Wayne i for one never doubted your ability for a second unlike some other so called supporters (Dunce Witslow) now start knocking them in for fun :)
UTID!
BELIEVE!
I SUGGEST YOU BITTER BLUE PARANOIA HEADS TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE REST OF THE PAPERS YOU'LL FIND THAT ROONEY WAS VOTED MAN OF THE MATCH IN THEM ALL, SO ITS NOT JUST THE MEN. PARANOIA IS A BIG SIDE EFFECT OF USING DOPE , OR IS IT BEING A DOPE, TAKE YOUR PICK.
You can't beat a good "scandal" to get the juices flowing again...look out Premier League and Europe: Wayne is back!!!
BOYCOTT THE NEWS OF THE WORLD!!!
Away at Everton at the weekend? Bad timing but then again it could be the perfect tonic for him...i wonder whats going on through his head right now!
DarthGorb. (08/09/2010 at 09:31)
Reply
Like (3)
ReportWell done Rooney...still scoring away from home
Salford Insight, Irlam (08/09/2010 at 10:06)
Like (1)
ReportIt's getting a little boring Darth
Typical response from a United fan.Cant take a joke.its only less than a week old this story but you lot keep banging on about council house and 34 years.Get a sense of humour and lighten up
(i would appreciate this being posted mr moderator ,thank you)
Wazza scores......Wazza scores....Wazza scores....and did everything else for little ol' England. not bothered about Rooney's personal life as it haves nothing to do with me. Time to move on and let them sort it out, Roo hopefully will return to scoring ways at United - stuff small time England - biggest club in football Manchester United only matters
'Rags' (being Reds) by their very definition have never and can never be true England fans.
I always thought Rooney would look a better player playing for City. Now we see it coming true, albeit in the colours of England.
Meanwhile THREE yes that is THREE! Manchester United players were in the England U-21's that won 3-0 last night. More big news to be included in the MCEN.
The future's bright the future is definately RED!!
The Big Story "SIX cITY PLAYERS IN ENGLAND TEAM" was trotted out by the McEN on Monday night. So why reprint it on Wednesday???
Sorry Mr Knownowt @ 13.27 but the fact that ManYoo fans have never supported the England team has nothing to do with the fact that they do not play outside London.
Manchester City have always had a large following that travel to Wembley to watch the team play. It has more to do with the (shall we say) cosmopolitan make up of your support (do you get my drift man!)
The majority of your fans owe their allegiance to somewhere else than England (As one quick camera sweep around the swamp every time you play proves)
James Robson should be writing in the Beano or maybe the Dandy --absolutely hillarious comments borne from the seeds of divine righteous journalism totally hooked on a massive MUFC Myth.
Sorry Mr Knownowt @ 13.27 but the fact that ManYoo fans have never supported the England team has nothing to do with the fact that they do not play outside London.
Manchester City have always had a large following that travel to Wembley to watch the team play. It has more to do with the (shall we say) cosmopolitan make up of your support (do you get my drift man!)
The majority of your fans owe their allegiance to somewhere else than England (As one quick camera sweep around the swamp every time you play proves)
So you are trying to say that uniteds support is not english because you see a few asian faces behind fergie,what a halfwit you are there are another 76000 people in there of which about 80% are english talk about generalising pull your neck in you idiot.
We go to wembley virtually every season and why the hell would we want to pay all that money to watch substandard football when we have been nurtured on the very very best football taught by matt busby
Jesus saves and Rooney nets the rebound
Ted at 13:53, and what myth would that be knotty, old man? MUFC myth? I think that you're talking gaga again.So all United have done in their history isn't true? We ARE the biggest club in the world, that's no myth. We ARE one of the most successful English sides ever, is that a myth? We have, but for one season, claimed the top crowd averages since 1974. Need I go on? Finally, well done Rooney, now go and eat the toffees on Saturday.
Well done Wazza !
United forever !
Perfect response hahaha...i say "about time Englands main forward put the ball in the net"....They say it was nearly ONE WHOLE YEAR since he scored a Goal for His Country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When will ppl realise mmmmm???
Even though he had not scored FOR HIS COUNTRY IN NEARLY A YEAR (and is the main forward man)!!!!!! he works hard yeah!!!! so it dont matter eh? hahaha
In my eyes there were only 3 City players playing for England last night - Johnson, Hart and SWP. Milner, Lescott and Barry were already England players when we bought them...