“I saw my mate the other day

He said to me he saw the white Pele

So I asked who is he

He goes by the name of Wayne Rooney”

A name that has become synonymous with English football for more than a decade is that of Wayne Wazza Rooney. From being the youngest goal scorer for his boyhood club, Everton, to scoring a hat trick on debut for his next and current club, Manchester United; his journey to greatness has been riddled with excellence and an occasional falling off the wagon.

This week he celebrated being the top club goal scorer for Manchester United, breaking the long-time record set by the great Sir Bobby Charlton who retired a long time ago before Rooney began to play, reaching the no. 250 mark in a match where his goal became the difference between a loss of 3 points and the gain of a valuable 1 point. A scintillating direct free-kick from just outside the box to break the record and set one in his name. Not unlike all great footballers, he has had his fair share of ups and down throughout his career both on and off field.

He has become somewhat of a symbol for Manchester United recently despite his fairly frequent transfer requests in the past few years, which got him a king-sized salary and the captain’s armband, followed by a terrible run of form in the previous season.

Like any English footballer, he is known for having a knack for drinking and getting into the newspapers for all the wrong reasons. Reasons considered inappropriate for an iconic footballer of his stature. Even after that, he seems to come out of his usual slump and finds himself in a purple patch more often than not.

Throughout his career in the Premier League spanning more than a decade, we have seen the player transform from a thuggish center forward always ready to get into battle head-on to a calm and level headed captain for both club and country. Some would argue that this transformation of his ended up in him losing the fire with which he had burst into the top flight of English football and has continued making his mark as with the recent achievement of club record scorer.

A leader on the pitch having to look forward to a career of at least 4 years displaying the same form he has over the years (being a hopeful Manchester United fan), Rooney could be seen as a respectable leader from the sidelines guiding future footballers.

Once the nation’s golden teenager, its great white hope, Rooney is now considered by many to be little more than a punch-drunk boxer seeking one last dance around the ring. In truth, while once part of an exclusive club, Rooney is now far from the world’s élite. In a wider context, the real story is that Rooney’s goalscoring record per minute has declined year-on-year for the past three campaigns. And if he is not a goalscorer, nor is Rooney a creator, with the player’s number of assists falling over the same period, although the player’s average number of key passes-per-game remains in line with historical performance.It is also fair to argue that Rooney is now neither the best striker, winger, number 10, nor midfielder at the club, while earning by the far the highest wages. Rooney may have long been cast aside, bar for historical whimsy and Louis van Gaal’s “special privileges.”

Yet, in a career context there are detractors with a point too; one far more nuanced than modernity typically allows. Teenage Rooney was a scorer of great goals and then even greater goals still. His game was a burst of electric excitement and, yet, refined beyond its years. On the pitch, Rooney was a man, both physically and mentally, long before he left adolescence. The player’s first touch was outstanding, despite contemporary evidence to the contrary, and his vision as finely tuned as any.

It is little wonder the game’s great and good saw so much in the 16-year-old Rooney. That 16-year-old blossomed, but perhaps not as brightly as once promised. It is a key factor in the changing narrative of Rooney’s career.

In the end, Rooney’s goals and years at United also come with a caveat about his loyalty. It is just one element that has added to the evolving sentiment about Rooney’s role at the club. One significantly enhanced by rapidly falling standards.

After all, as Gary Neville once noted, United is a “cynical club” – one that is prone to move on, while a player still hears the voice of entitlement calling. It is an observation Rooney might do well to remember.

“And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.”

For the first time in what feels like a generation there are plenty of options in Manchester United’s attack. Such was the depth of David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal’s mediocrity that each was an architect of some of the most boring football seen at Old Trafford in decades. It is now José Mourinho’s time and the impression is already strong that he will not stand for it. Fun is returning to the red side of Manchester.

Back at club level, the narrative of Rooney’s career has always been complex. He is both the leading English talent in a generation, United’s elder statesman, and a two-time transfer rebel. After 14 years at the top, Rooney’s talent may be on the wane, but his presence endures. It is why the player remains in consideration, even with the star fading fast.