This is so trivial for you guys that I won't mind if no one wants to comment, but I've been confused by the commentary that I've heard about Wayne Rooney this year and, not knowing background, don't understand.
When I began watching the USWNT a few years ago, I would occasionally watch a Men's game, which on my channels was usually EPL at the time (though I didn't even know that.) I saw this guy with the Irish name and face, (didn't even remember who he was playing for) and had the impression "This guy is really good." I occasionally decided to watch a game depending upon whether he was playing or not --- remember that I knew nothing about the European teams except some famous team names.
Then for a couple of years I didn't watch anything but the extremely painful experience of USMNT with Klinnsman, hoping maybe Dempsey might score. This last year I got into the rest of soccer and there was this guy Rooney, and a bunch of bad-mouthing or at least dismissive commentary was being made about him. Sounded like it was more than that he was just getting old. When I watched his games, he still looked pretty damm good to me, and (until Ibrahimovic) I would have thought him still their most productive player --- there was another defensive mid-fielder, also older, that I thought pretty good too.
But somewhat constant dismissiveness still went on, by almost every commentator except the Grand Contrarian, Alexi Lalas, who once deeply irritated his British fellow commentator by saying that Rooney was the only World-class soccer player that England would field on those national teams. Well, given that it was Alexi --- who I don't always take seriously but find very entertaining regardless --- I thought that my view of Wayne Rooney must be WAY off.
So --- what can you guys tell me that makes this make sense?
