Will Ronaldo & Rooney be more successful than Beckham & Giggs?

[Futbalfan]

Ok, I know we are dealing with different position players here but given this new generation I wanted to see what the fans think. When it is all said and done will the careers of Ronaldo & Rooney outshine those of their predecessors Beckham & Giggs. Feel free to comment both on an individual level and in terms of their overall team success (trophies)!

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Easily better than Beckham, they have the potential to be better than Giggs, but it all depends on their consistancy.

[billyho96]

In terms of throphy count, no premiership team will match the Manure Run from 92-03, they won all but 3 over 11 year period.............amazing accomplishment

[Vermont Red]

I think Ronaldo already gets more tail than did Becks in his prime. However, I think Rooney won't contribute much (that he doesn't pay for) so I'd have to say Becks and Giggs.

[cpwilson80]

I voted for more individual acclaim, but fewer trophies. My four reasons:

1) Man U's run from the start of the EPL was remarkable -- I'm not sure any team will approach that level of domination anytime soon.

2) EPL is probably the most popular league in the world, meaning that the stars of today reach a wider audience than those of 10 years ago.

3) EPL is also more top-heavy than it's ever been, meaning more competition for titles and cups.

4) Rooney and Ronaldo will also make an impact at the international level. Rooney and Ronaldo are prominent figures for their national teams at such a young age -- both had a good run in Euro '04. On the other hand, Giggs played for Wales, and Beckham spent post-98/99 as the petulant child of the England team instead of captain.

[johno]

its really not quite so simple and linear... Rooney and Ronaldo will probably have a greater impact on the game than Beckham surely and w/ any sort of consistency, Giggs also (the one knock against Giggs is his inability to play at the level he's capable of for an entire season, but when he's hot, there's few hotter), however they won't win as many trophies as Giggs and Becks and its not just about fame and notoriety either - they'll actually be better players. Both of them will mean alot to their respective national teams and at a tender age, Ronaldo is already more important to Portugal than Beckham or Giggs ever were to their England/Wales. Rooney's showing evidence of the same.

[Alan_V]

IMO that would be a pretty big ask. The number of trophies not withstanding, you have to include winning the treble, or even just the Champion's league, when you think of anyone eclipsing the Giggs/Bekham combo. R&R can win 100 trophies, but if they don't win the CL and/or the treble, they may not get their due.

[Republic of Mancunia]

From www.manutdzone.com

Ryan Giggs:

1991 European Super Cup - Winner
1992 League Cup - Winner
1992 F.A. Youth Cup - Winner
1993 F.A. Premier League- Winner
1993 F.A. Charity Shield - Winner
1994 F.A. Premier League - Winner
1994 F.A. Cup - Winner
1995 F.A. Charity Shield - Winner
1996 F.A. Premier League - Winner
1996 F.A. Cup - Winner
1996 F.A. Charity Shield - Winner
1997 F.A. Premier League - Winner
1997 F.A. Charity Shield - Winner
1999 F.A. Premier League - Winner
1999 F.A. Cup - Winner
1999 European Champions League - Winner
1999 Intercontinental Cup - Winner
2000 F.A. Premier League - Winner
2001 F.A. Premier League - Winner
2003 F.A. Premier League - Winner
2003 F.A. Charity Shield - Winner
2004 F.A. Cup - Winner
49 Caps - 8 goals

Appearances with United 1991-2005 Goals Scored with United 1991-2005
Total League 395(51)---------------Total League 92
Total FA Cup 46(5)-----------------Total FA Cup 9
Total League Cup 22(5)------------Total League Cup 7
Total Europe 91(5)-----------------Total Europe 23
Total Charity Shield 9--------------Total Charity Shield 0
Total European Super Cup 0(1)------Total European Super Cup 0
Total Intercontinental Cup 1---------Total Intercontinental Cup 0
Total World Club (Brazil 2000) 2------Total World Club (Brazil 2000) 0
Total 566(67) -----------------------Total 131

From www.beckham.co.ar

David Beckham

1992 - FA Youth Cup - Winner (Manchester United)

1993 - FA Youth Cup - Runner-up (Manchester United)

1996 - FA Premier League - Winner (Manchester United)
1996 - FA Cup - Winner (Manchester United)
1996 - FA Charity Shield - Winner (Manchester United)

1997 - FA Premier League - Winner (Manchester United)
1997 - FA Charity Shield - Winner (Manchester United)

1999 - FA Premier League - Winner (Manchester United)
1999 - FA Cup - Winner (Manchester United)
1999 - UEFA Champions League - Winner (Manchester United)
1999 - FA Premier League-Winner (Manchester United)

2000 - FA Premier League-Winner (Manchester United)

2001 - FA Premier League-Winner (Manchester United)

2003 - FA Premier League-Winner (Manchester United)
2003 - European Super Cup (Real Madrid)

81 caps (45 as captain) + 16 international goals

To be honest I don't think there is even the slightest chance of Rooney and Ronaldo eclipsing this medal haul but I live in hope.

[StrikerCW]

I don't think, although I hope, we can have the trophy run we had in the 90's; therefore they will not win as many individual trophys. However, they ARE better players and will be more important. Both sets came into MU at around the same ages and will be a good comparision.

In other words. They will in Europe but not America.. I think. I.e. in America, trophys are more important than actual talent IMHO. Whereas many players without many trophys are just as famous in football in Europe.

[Hawki]

So much of this is going to depend on the other 9 players. The sky is the limit based on their talent ... what will actually happen will depend on so much more.

[jscott23]

Looking at the poll results it would appear that there are a lot of "hopeful" MUFC fans. Having followed this team through the lean years ('75-'90) I take no trophies for granted. R&R are the most talented two some I have seen at United in many years, but what made Gigs and Becks so successful were the other players around them. Question: Do we dominate the EPL for a decade without Cantona and Schmeichel? Does Rio have the partnership with anyone that compares to the Bruce/Pallister pairing. Where is the successor to Robson/Ince/Keane in the engine room?

Is Rooney a tremendous young player, no doubt! So was Norman Whiteside. Let's hope Rooney and C. Ronaldo have better teams around them, or not only will the trophy haul be much smaller, but their stays might be shorter too, and that would be the real tragedy.

Malcolm Glazer, time to put your money (or even somebody else's money) where your mouth is!

[SirManchester]

As far as I know Ronaldo does not have the vision and preciseness that Becks had at United, maybe three years from now.

[johno]

right... but Beck's couldn't dribble an old lady w/ a walker.

[Mac_Howard]

Ronaldo has the ability to match Giggs but I don't believe Utd will ever get the loyalty from him that Giggs has given. I doubt we'll get the years out of him that we've had from Ryan.

Rooney, quite simply, has the potential to become the best player England has ever produced. He'll surpass Beckham and possibly even Charlton.

So, individual achievements will be better but team achievement not (also too difficult these days).

[RonaldoQuaresma88ca]

right... but Beck's couldn't dribble an old lady w/ a walker.lmao. I'll say this, ManU have the two best young players in the world...which of the two will be the best after it all shakes out will be more apparent in 2/3 seasons.

Will there be friction between the two starlets? Will they support one another, in each's attempt to stake claim to 'best footballer', or will they will turn on one another?

I'm not about to say CRonaldo is better, nor am I gonna say Rooney. I've seen them both play numerous times...and each time my opinion changes. One week its CRonaldo...the next it's Rooney. Quite simply...both are f'n amazing. The only thing that might hinder Rooney is his quick temper, as for CRonaldo, it's the harsh tackles of opposing players(teams)

[Stud83]

right... but Beck's couldn't dribble an old lady w/ a walker.

See, I could never quite understand it. Dribbling may be important for 10 year old boys or for people that watch soccer twice a year, but it's simply ridiculous to judge players abilities and their contributions on their dribble.
C Ronaldo with all of his great potential is still not even close to what Beckham meant to MU in the late 90s-early 00s. And it's not to say Beckham couldn't dribble - it just was not his game.
I don't see C. Ronaldo winning many individual trophies and there is no way he'll even get close to winning as many team trophies as did Beckham or Giggs. In fact, I don't see him playing for MU beyond 2010, tbh.
As far as Rooney - I believe next year will be England's best chance to win a WC since 1966. And if they do finally win it, I think Ronney will be the MVP and thus may be considered as one of the greatest ever English players at a very young age. But again, there is no way he'll win as many trophies as Beckham, and if the team with him wins half the trophies that Giggs won, it would be an amazing achievement. Although he'll most likely win more individual honors than both Giggs and Becks.

[Quaresma_10]

only need to win 2 champions keagues or an international trophy to be better than all becks trophies, not won by him anyway.

[ilv2]

I think Ronaldo already gets more tail than did Becks in his prime. .

LOL

and hot portugese tail too. not them english country lasses.

[bigtoga]

I voted for "R&R will have attained more individual fame/awards but less team trophies" but I certainly don't believe the double Rs will attain Beckham's level of fame...

[Achtung]

I voted for "R&R will have attained more individual fame/awards but less team trophies" but I certainly don't believe the double Rs will attain Beckham's level of fame...

Rooney might not get the same adoration from Japanese schoolgirls as Becks, but I think that overall he'll end up being more famous than David. He's already relatively well-known in the US (for a foreign player), and I'm seeing plenty of Rooney jerseys, both England and Man United. ESPN has shown his goal clips several times, and he's made quite a few appearances in Sports Illustrated. His youth combined with the fact that he's a natural goalscorer will really work in his favor. He'll also probably end up being a very controversial personality, though hopefully not along the lines of Gazza.

Ronaldo is already popular amongst the ladies, and that helps when you're trying to be a star in the vein of Best or Beckham. His flashy play is something the average person can dazzle at too, even if they know little about soccer.

In the end though, they're going to have to win trophies, and plenty of them. I don't think they'll be as successful at the club level as Giggs and Beckham were, but I do think they will win more internationally, which will end up making them bigger stars overall.