Ex-Chelsea winger Joe Cole believes Didier Drogba is on the same level as, or even potentially even better than, Wayne Rooney.
Wayne Rooney had a glittering career at Manchester United. Winning multiple league titles, the Champions League in 2008 and a whole host of domestic cups, the Englishman is a bonafide United legend.
In the 2016/2017 season, Rooney whipped in a free-kick into the top corner against Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium and cemented his legacy as one of the best players ever to pull on the United shirt as he broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record in the process.
Despite this, it doesn’t seem everyone agrees especially when former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba is thrown into the mix.
Joe Cole on Rooney and Drogba comparison
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s channel Vibe With Five, Joe Cole and ex-Premier League striker Peter Crouch had to rank some of the best strikers of our generation.
When the topic of conversation moved on to Rooney, Cole anguished over the thought of putting the Englishman into the Elite category, which would be higher than Drogba who was in the World Class category.
“I can’t,” Cole said when asked if he could put Rooney over Drogba. “How can I put him above Didier they’re both world-class, but I just can’t.”
Hearing this, Crouch responds: “Joe, you’ve got to think Rooney is United’s all-time top goalscorer, he ranks alongside Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best.”
Cole, however, seemed to believe that Drogba had these moments that would win Chelsea vital games, but it could be argued that Rooney had multiple of these, the ridiculous overhead kick against Manchester City back in 2011 is a great example.
Rooney’s legacy
Towards the end of the Englishman’s career, he struggled to recreate the magic that he showed during his first decade at Old Trafford before eventually leaving for Everton when United were under Jose Mourinho’s management.
When Cristiano Ronaldo was at the club, Rooney’s selflessness allowed the Portuguese star to thrive which is why fans adored the Englishman.
When Ronaldo left, Rooney was key for the Red Devils as he scored 30+ goals in two of the next three seasons for the Red Devils.
His goalscoring record, 253 goals in 559 games speaks for itself, not to mention the 145 assists he has to his name. He simply has to go down as one of the Premier League’s best-ever strikers.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
