QPR midfielder Joey Barton has sensationally claimed that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is not world class as people perceive him to be. Rooney recently signed a new contract worth around £ 300,000 per week, which has clearly made him the best player in the English Premier League.
However, Barton, who has played with the likes of Manchester city and Newcastle United in the past, claims that Rooney does not deserve this contract and he is also not world class as people think of him. This sensational comment has attracted a lot of press.
Barton was speaking to the BBC about the chances of England doing well at the World Cup. He says that there is no way Rooney would be considered in the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently won the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the second time in his career. Rooney, in contrast, has never been in the running for this award. Barton accepted that the 28-year-old was one of the top players in the world, but he is certainly not in the league as Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Barton has been a mainstay in the QPR team, which is fighting to get promoted back to the Premier league.
However, it looks like they will miss out on the automatic promotion spots and will have to settle for a play-off place.
“Our players aren’t world class. Rooney could have been but look at his mentality compared to Cristiano Ronaldo. Polar opposites. Why does Ronaldo achieve what he achieves and Rooney doesn’t? From the questions I’ve asked of players who have worked with both, he [Ronaldo] is in the gym or honing his game. The level of discipline he has for his chosen profession is the reason he is the best player in the world at the present time, and Rooney isn’t,” said Barton.
