Would Sir Bobby have won the World Cup if he had swapped places with Rooney?

Wayne Rooney became England's leading scorer on Tuesday night

FOR all the attempts to draw similarities between Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton over the past 24 hours, there is only one way in which they are really comparable.

 

It stems from how they honed the skills that see them now stand one and two on the leader board for goals by England players.

Playing with a tennis ball in the back alleys was how Sir Bobby crafted his game, while the streets of Croxteth were Rooney’s original theatre of dreams when first stepping out on the remarkable journey that saw him reach 50 international goals this week and break new ground.

It is their football DNA which is the same, not their careers.

 

There-after trying to draw comparisons between Rooney, who sadly will probably prove to be the last of the street footballers, and Charlton are too difficult. If this was tennis then we could compare Grand Slams, totting up their respective Wimbledon triumphs, but both have been cogs in a team.

Consider this: would Sir Bobby boast a World Cup winners’ medal if he had been born in 1985? 

How would he have coped with the scrutiny that Rooney has had to perform under since bursting onto the scene at 16 with Everton and which now sees him boast almost 70m global followers across his social media platforms?

There should simply be a positive outpouring that Rooney is enjoying a career which has seen him become England’s all-time leading scorer and, in time, is likely to see him win most caps as well.

And while he is doing this, he will soon establish himself as Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer as well. Whoever sticks to the story that he is falling short must have had pretty lofty expectations in the first place.

Colin Harvey, the man Wayne Rooney credits with stopping him turning his back on football, believes the striker should be regarded as one of the all-time greats.

The question of whether Rooney, newly-established as England's record goalscorer, has realised his potential is not worthy of debate according to his former Everton youth coach Harvey.

"I just think he has fulfilled, and will fulfil, everything expected of him," said Harvey. "Sir Bobby Charlton was one of the all-time greats, a World Cup winner and one of the best, so to think Wayne has beaten him in terms of goals says everything.

"Then, you think that there is a good chance he will go on and make the most appearances of any England player. At club level, he is close to bettering the goal tallies of Denis Law and Bobby again to become Manchester United's all-time leading scorer.

 

"He is going to be one of the greats of all time which is amazing for a kid from Croxteth."

Rooney admitted before his 100th cap last November that he considered quitting the game aged 14 after becoming disillusioned and but for the intervention of Harvey, who played for and managed Everton, may have drifted away.

Harvey, typically, plays down his own role, saying: "He was just going through a period as a young kid where he was having to adjust to making sacrifices and getting on with his football rather than hanging around with his mates.

"He would still play football in the street then, but there comes a time when that has to go. I did have a word in his ear, but Wayne made the choice himself."

A more pertinent comparison is how Rooney has closed the record and Roy Hodgson’s part in helping him over the line.

Rooney has scored 22 goals in the three years since Hodgson took over as England coach, benefiting from the freedom of expression and the responsibility that has been thrust upon him.

Rooney has still had to perform when crossing the white line, but the coach’s faith and trust has been crucial.

Compare that haul from June 2012 to now and the three years previous under Fabio Capello. Rooney scored just seven goals as the Italian’s methods at times jarred.

Rooney has already done more than seemed possible. For that he should be applauded.