The Rooney apologists are a bit quiet tonight

[Dr Pierre Chang]

"World Class" to me is someone who succeeds at every level of football, Rooney doesnt fit this as he is poor internationally.

How do you rate Lionel Messi?

[Kinky Tom]

Out of interest, which one?

1998 for sure, maybe 2002

[thedarkprince]

How do you rate Lionel Messi?

World class as his hattrick vs Brazil clearly prove.

[leefer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Rooney

Anyone care to comment on both players scoring records for there country?

Messi must be shit for Argentina

[carbonwhite]

How do you rate Lionel Messi?

Messi has scored 7 in his last 3 games for them, plus he got them to the copa america final which is there Euro's which is more than Rooney has done in the last 8 years

[chalkies_shorts]

Comparing Rooney to Messi is like comparing me to Brad Pitt

[thedarkprince]

1998 for sure, maybe 2002

1998: we went out to Argentina on pens; who then lost to Holland; who then lost to Brazil; who then lost to France. Yep, 1998 for sure...

2002: we lost to Brazil because Seaman strayed off his line, not sure hat good Giggs would've done there. Plus the time zone, heat and humidity were against us.

[Dr Pierre Chang]

Messi has scored 7 in his last 3 games them, plus he got them to the copa america final which is there Euro's which is more than Rooney has done in the last 8 years

Suceeding at every level of football suggests winning things to me.

Rooney isn't world class for me but then again I think there are only 4 world class players at the moment - Messi, Ronaldo, Xavi, Iniesta.

[carbonwhite]

He wudnt of given the foul away which was given away by our current left midfielder at the time Trevor Sinclair  

[tans]

Comparing Rooney to Messi is like comparing me to Brad Pitt

[kerry red]

Rooney should never, ever again be given an England shirt.

Useless scouse cunt

[singingiiiffy]

Why the hatred for rooney?! Or for any of them that played? I wouldn't say rooney lacked effort at all, in a defensive set up why is everyone expecting him to shine? Did his best, thought they all did. We were never going to be good enough to win the tournament and everyone said that before it started. Now we lose on penalties and everyone is targetting players and the team for being shit again. Lots of decent youth coming through and how many of this team will be in brazil?

[reeves4england]

Had that overhead kick gone in all we'd have heard about was how amazing Rooney is. I didn't see enough of the game to judge, but in the bits I did see he was hardly being provided with constant world-class service.

[DiV]

I think England could have made the World Cup final in 2002 - if - they'd had Germanys run to the final, which was relatively easy. Ireland, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia in the group. Paraguay, United States and then South Korea.

Now Germany got an easy group as they were seeded in pot 1 - where as England were seeded in pot 2, despite the fact England topped the qualifying group where as Germany had to go through the play offs. So I never quite worked out why we werent seed 1 and them 2 but meh...

Brazil would have still beat us.

Rooney has never lived up to the potential he showed as a 16 year old. To busy being a celebrity and getting up to no good instead of being a footballer. How often does Messi end up in the tabloids in Spain?

[Dr Pierre Chang]

Rooney has never lived up to the potential he showed as a 16 year old.

Not at international level but I think he has for United. Won plenty and his record is superb.