Rooney offers Fabio Capello an escape from the escapades
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Wayne Rooney yesterday revealed that he is limited to five sponsorship deals by his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, whose tight control over players' off-field commitments would clearly not have run to tolerating John Terry's free rein at Chelsea.
Rooney disclosed the limitations to his off-field work in the course of appearing in court to fight a £4.3m lawsuit brought by his former agents Proactive, following the Manchester United striker's decision to remove his work from them when his representative, Paul Stretford, was dismissed by the company in 2008 for gross misconduct. This followed a blackmail trial at Warrington Crown Court which collapsed after Stretford was said to have given "false and misleading" evidence.
Rooney's number of sponsorship deals, from which Stretford has continued to take 20 per cent despite the deals having been negotiated under the aegis of Proactive, was "based on what my manager tells me," Rooney told Manchester Mercantile Court, where the company, now owned by the Formation Group, is pursuing its claim against the 24-year-old.
The responsibilities of fatherhood have contributed to Rooney not even using up his quota, he said, with no plans to add to the four deals he has struck with Nike, Coca Cola, EA Sports and Tiger beer. "To be honest, I'm probably doing the max," Rooney said. "My wife has just had a baby. I need time to spend with them and I need time with my family as well. It could change but not at the minute."
Stretford, banned by the FA from representing players for nine months last May in the light of the blackmail trial, suggested in his testimony yesterday that Ferguson had had his fingers burnt in allowing United players freedom to maximise their off-field revenues. "Sir Alex Ferguson is known for his attention to detail," Stretford said. "That doesn't just go for training etc. He believes the priority of any player should be his football. I'm not naming any names but I think he has experience where commercial opportunities have got out of control."
Despite the strictures imposed by Ferguson, the case has provided a detailed sense of the vast sums earned by Rooney and his wife, Coleen – and thus Stretford, who takes a fifth as part of a working relationship in which the agent also helps to organise "my everyday life," as Rooney described it yesterday. "There's obviously a lot of stuff to be done and we needed someone to do it," Rooney said.
It was put to Rooney that the idea of a new sole trader in the football agent business – Stretford – claiming 20 per cent commission on a player's off-field income was unheard of. But Rooney, who wrote a character statement for Stretford at his FA tribunal hearing last year, insisted that Proactive had no right to claim money from him when Stretford had gone.
"I thought I could give 31 days' notice and leave Proactive," Rooney said. "The other team-mates I had at Everton [when the initial Proactive contract was signed] had that in their agreements – or they told me they did. I wanted Mr Stretford to look after me and I don't think Proactive could have provided the service for me. No one from Proactive called me to say, 'We will provide the services for you now that Paul Stretford has gone'."
It was put to Rooney that solicitors engaged by Stretford had forbidden Proactive from contacting Rooney and his wife. Rooney acknowledged the fact. "But before Mr Stretford got sacked from the company no one explained that he was going to be sacked [so we could prepare]," he added.
Rooney dealt with his testimony quietly and unfalteringly, though his mother, Jeanette, was clearly more indignant about her cross-examination. The court heard that Coleen Rooney would not be appearing, despite expectations that she would.
Proactive is seeking past and future commissions totalling more than £4m from Rooney and damages for a breach of contract. Court papers filed just over a year ago showed that on top of his then £90,000-a-week club salary, Rooney was also earning £1m a year from Nike, more than £200,000 a year from the computer games firm EA and £600,000 from a four-year deal with Coca-Cola.
Coleen Rooney's non-appearance means she will not be discussing details of her income from endorsements of perfume and make-up, plus magazine columns and her TV series Real Women. The hearing continues.
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Milan's plans to stop Wayne Rooney tomorrow night might have to rely on plan B with first choice central defender Thiago Silva struggling to be fit to start the first leg at San Siro. Daniele Bonera is on stand-by as home manager Leonardo waits on the Brazilian's fitness.
Whoever lines up in defence, Milan come into the game off the back of conceding twice in the 3-2 win over Udinese. The victory came in spite of a nervous defensive display where they looked vulnerable every time the Antonio Di Natale-inspired opposition attacked. Udinese netted twice after Bonera had replaced Thiago late in the first half and they needed Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to grab a late winner.
The Dutchman, who scored twice in that win, looks set to keep his place in Leonardo's starting line-up with first-choice centre-forward Marco Borriello also a doubt. A front three of Ronaldinho, Huntelaar and Alexandre Pato would leave David Beckham having to make do with a place on the bench.
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Milan welcome Manchester with a major domestic headache as their hopes of finishing second continue to suffer at the hands of Claudio Ranieri's Roma. The former Chelsea manager's side are 20 games unbeaten after their 4-1 win over Palermo. They moved back ahead of Milan with their ninth straight win coming courtesy of two goals from Matteo Brighi and one each from former Arsenal man Julio Baptista and ex-Liverpool full-back John Arne Riise.
The Norweigan was not the only former Liverpool defender in the goals as Alvaro Arbeloa got Real Madrid's all important first goal as they beat Xerez to keep the pressure up on Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo added two more, both from Kaka assists as the pair continue to show signs of finally clicking into place after their combined €140m transfer in the summer.
Meanwhile, the former Chelsea midfielder Tiago has backed Jose Mourinho's Internazionale to get one over on his old club when the two teams meet in the Champions League next week.
Tiago said: "Mourinho sees football differently to everyone else. He takes care of everything. He gives the impression that he has known his rivals for years. He even seems to know exactly what makes them tick. That is why he wins.''
Ruud in rude health
Ruud van Nistelrooy scored twice in 90 seconds to give Hamburg a win over Christian Gross' Stuttgart. The Dutchman was a second-half substitute in the win that helped Martin Jol's team into a Europa League spot. Bayern Munich are still breathing down the necks of unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen. The leaders beat Wolfsburg but are now just one goal ahead of Louis van Gaal's team who beat Dortmund 3-1. Arjen Robben scored for the fifth successive match as Munich made it 12 straight wins in the league.
Porto off the pace
Porto slipped to nine points off the pace in Portugal ahead of their Champions League first leg against Arsenal on Wednesday. They were held to a goal-less away draw at Leixoes and lost ground on Benfica who beat Belenenses 1-0. Everton's Europa League opponents Sporting Lisbon also drew a blank with a 0-0 draw against Pacos de Ferreira leaving them 21 points from the top.
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Wayne Rooney produced another match-winning performance for Manchester United as he took his tally for the season to 27 by bagging a double against West Ham.
Michael Owen scored for the first time since that hat-trick at Wolfsburg in December as the Red Devils closed to within a point of Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea.
But Owen's late effort was a mere footnote compared to Rooney's contribution.
The 24-year-old has been set a conservative target of 30 by Sir Alex Ferguson.
At this rate he will eclipse the 42 that helped turn Cristiano Ronaldo into the world's best player two years ago.
Where the Red Devils would be without the striker does not bear thinking about. Little wonder Ferguson once again opted to stick with him against supposedly lesser opposition on home soil when probably, he could do with a rest, however minimal.
The wisdom of the selection was proved just before half-time when Rooney planted his diving header into the corner of Robert Green's goal.
It would be churlish to exclude Dimitar Berbatov and Antonio Valencia from praise given the Bulgarian's excellent crossfield pass and an even better volleyed cross to the far post from the South American.
But Rooney was the man who had shifted into space, Rooney who had to finish. There was never any prospect of him failing.
In a very similar manner to his opener, Rooney found himself in splendid isolation when Berbatov released Valencia with another excellent pass in the build up to the second.
Once again the cross was inviting. Once again Rooney sent it past Green.
For a player of his class, his finishes had been routine.
Owen grabbed the third after an inspired through ball from Paul Scholes.
It was Owen's eighth of the season, only one short of Berbatov's tally.
A long way behind Rooney though. And the gap is going to get wider yet.
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Wayne Rooney is now one of the best players in the world, according to the England manager Fabio Capello. Photograph: Jon Super/AP
Fabio Capello does not want to say too much more about John Terry or Wayne Bridge, and who can blame him? Ahead of his last England friendly before he settles down to select a World Cup squad, the Italian would much rather talk about Wayne Rooney, as most of his counterparts in international football management are doing.
"I see the other managers quite a lot, at meetings and conferences," Capello explains. "Always they come to me and say the same thing – 'You have one fantastic player'. Vicente del Bosque, Giovanni Trapattoni, they ask me always about Rooney."
And how does Capello respond? Like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline, or a hungry prisoner discovering rare and refreshing fruit is on the menu for a change. When all your adopted country seems to be interested in is a tawdry succession of off-field scandals it is all the more pleasant to be asked to consider a footballer who is winning global admiration for playing football.
"Rooney is really good," Capello says, allowing himself a slightly self-satisfied smile. "He did not play so well at Everton last week but otherwise he has been in a fantastic moment. He has improved a lot this season, he's always in front of goal now. Every pass is good, his movement, his heading and his confidence are all excellent. I think he's one of the best players in the world right now. You can't make direct comparisons because every top player has a different style, but you can definitely say Rooney is up there with the best.
"With Lionel Messi you get dribbling and imagination, Cristiano Ronaldo is fast and can shoot from distance. Kaká arrives at the goal from the midfield area. Rooney is a centre-forward. He can do most things and he's strong. He runs a lot and presses a lot. The others don't, and that's a big difference. He's very important to us."
There. Wasn't that like a breath of fresh air? Listening to the FA chairman, Lord Triesman, on the subject a few days ago, it quickly became clear that his employers regard Capello with the same admiration the manager reserves for his best attacking player. After years of searching England have finally found themselves someone who is demonstrably good at his job. Someone happy to take charge, a figure of authority players can shelter behind, someone who can make an average team look good. At £6m a year Capello may not count as a bargain, but Triesman is more than happy with the amount of authority he has imported. That is why, he said, there was no question of the FA telling him how to handle the Terry case, or seeking to influence his decision about the captaincy. What Capello says goes.
Which is just as well, as it happens, since Capello is now saying Terry will still be his leader on the field, no matter who wears the armband. While the coach was careful to confirm that he would not be changing his mind and offering Terry the captaincy back in the foreseeable future, certainly not before the World Cup and probably not afterwards, just as significant was his admission that he never considered leaving him out of the squad.
Whether Terry feels quite the same way is doubtful, but Capello clearly views the armband as an object of only slightly more importance than the coin captains toss to decide ends or the pennants they exchange before kick off. The FA might be congratulating themselves on having a big man who can get the big decisions right, but for Capello it was literally the work of a few minutes to toss the honour to the next man in line, even though he hardly ever plays, and shadow him with a player who is rarely demonstrative even when he captains Liverpool.
Capello is only concerned with events on the pitch, and at Wembley on Wednesday it is unlikely to look as if too much has changed. Terry will still be the de facto leader, Capello has just admitted as much, and together with Rooney he remains central, in every sense, to England's hopes of success in South Africa.
Capello hopes he has seen the last of the lurid headlines, though he also says he is not unduly concerned about players' private lives, since that is an area for club managers to supervise. Of Wayne Bridge he points out there is still time for a change of heart, before adding pointedly that when he played he only had the chance to appear in one World Cup, and some players get none. Of the notorious Wags, whom he amusingly likened to a virus at the last tournament, he claims to be unconcerned where they base themselves in South Africa as long as they stay out of the England training camp.
If he has one wish for the World Cup it is a simple one, and the same one practically every other World Cup manager would make. "I hope my best players will be fit when it comes to the time to decide my squad," he says. No prizes for guessing which players he means.
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Rooney and TIGER BEER???
WHAT???
