Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to win the Golden Boot and walk away
with every player award going this season, but Wayne Rooney is
bidding to make some history of his own by becoming an
'Invincible'.
If Manchester United can avoid
losing in their remaining six league games, Rooney will have gone
through the entire Premier League campaign unbeaten — just as
Arsenal's Invincibles did in 2003-04.
The England striker will play his 23rd league game of the season
against Middlesbrough today, having won 19 and drawn three of the
previous 22. To illustrate his impact on United, the team have lost
four of the 10 league matches he has missed.
The bad news for United's title rivals is that while some of
them might be feeling burn-out after an arduous season, Rooney is
back in the goals and feeling fresher than ever.
'I've missed a few games through injury this season and though
it's not something I wanted it's helping me now as we come towards
the end of the season,' he said.
'I love the Champions League but the Premier League is still the
major trophy to win for me. It's the competition I grew up on
watching Everton when I was younger.'
Well-schooled in manager Sir Alex Ferguson's philosophy that
there is no 'I in team', Rooney is hoping to be an 'Invincible' for
reasons other than personal gratification.
'I want to go unbeaten for the rest of the season because it
means we will have a great chance of winning the league,' he said.
'That's the most important thing for me — winning trophies for the
team. Individual things aren't something to be concerned about.
'We are doing very well at the minute. The defence have been
brilliant all season. If they carry on keeping clean sheets, I'm
sure us front players will keep winning the games for us.'