Rooney names Gerrard the 'complete midfielder' he played with
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- Wayne Rooney ranked the best midfielders he played with on the Wayne Rooney Show podcast, singling out Steven Gerrard as the "complete midfield player" who could tackle, shoot, dictate games, and hit long passes — adding, "I would have loved to have seen him at Manchester United."
- Paul Scholes was compared to Barcelona's Sergio Busquets, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta for his intelligence in deciding when to hold the ball or lay it off, with Rooney calling him "basically a Barcelona player" who could play forward, 10, eight, six, or off the left.
- Ryan Giggs was named "the genius" for his ability to score no-look goals, manipulate the ball in tight areas, and take free-kicks — winning 13 league titles after Rooney recalled him initially being booed by United fans amid talk of a move to Inter Milan.
- Roy Keane was identified as a leader, though Rooney shared a dressing-room anecdote about Keane telling Darren Fletcher to charge his phone in the dressing room — then taking his own off charge afterward, calling it "a bit unfair."
- Patrick Vieira, the one midfielder Rooney didn't play with, was described as "horrible" to play against due to his size and long legs, though "a lovely fella" off the pitch, with Rooney noting Vieira led Arsenal to two Premier League titles.
- Frank Lampard was credited with the best penalty-area timing of any midfielder, with Rooney praising his intelligence to hold back before making late runs into the box — but Lampard was ultimately left out of Rooney's ultimate XI in favor of Carrick for "balance."
- Darren Fletcher and Ji-sung Park were praised for their underrated energy and commitment at Manchester United, with Rooney noting Park was never a natural centre midfielder but "the one who never stopped."
Why it matters: Rooney played alongside defining midfielders of a generation across club and country, and his picks — Gerrard as the complete midfielder, Scholes as the Barcelona-style brain, Giggs as the genius — reflect a United-heavy perspective. Naming Vieira, the one he faced rather than played with, shows how opposition quality shaped his view of the position.
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