Wayne Rooney vs Per Mertesacker: Stats Compared
Forward, England (born 1985, retired 2021) · Centre-Back, Germany (born 1984, retired 2018)
Line up Wayne Rooney next to Per Mertesacker and the contrasts come quickly. Goals are the coldest, hardest metric in football, and both players stockedpile them. By the end Wayne Rooney had 364 goals from 879 caps and club outings; Per Mertesacker had 15 from 550. Creativity tells a story too: 145 assists for Wayne Rooney against 5 for Per Mertesacker. The honours ledger favours Wayne Rooney with 13 major trophies (1× UEFA Champions League (2008)) against Per Mertesacker's 4 (1× FIFA World Cup (2014)). Where Wayne Rooney was a mercurial presence in the box, Per Mertesacker offered a resolute approach to goalscoring. Club journeys add another layer, with Wayne Rooney reaching his representative peak around 2011 across Everton, Manchester United, DC United, Derby County and Per Mertesacker doing so around 2014 with Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Arsenal. Few pairings invite such entrenched disagreement, and fewer still deserve it this much.
151 words · comparison angle: goalscoring
Player profiles
Manchester United's all-time leading scorer with 253 goals; England's second-highest scorer with 53 international goals.
“A powerful, aggressive forward whose relentless pressing, vision and finishing made him a complete team player.”
A towering, calm German centre-back nicknamed 'BFG' by Arsenal fans, Mertesacker started every match of Germany's triumphant 2014 World Cup campaign.
“A commanding, positionally intelligent centre-back whose reading of the game compensated for a lack of raw pace.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× UEFA Champions League (2008)
- 5× Premier League (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013)
- 1× FA Cup (2016)
- 4× EFL Cup (2006, 2009, 2010, 2017)
- 1× UEFA Europa League (2017)
- 1× FIFA Club World Cup (2008)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2014)
- 3× FA Cup (2014, 2015, 2017)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 2002 Everton debut aged 16
- 2004 Signed for Manchester United
- 2004 Scored a hat-trick on his Champions League debut
- 2008 Won the Champions League with Manchester United
- 2010 England's youngest scorer at a World Cup
- 2017 Became Manchester United's all-time top scorer
- 2021 Returned to Derby County as player-manager
- 2001 Professional debut for Hannover 96
- 2014 Won FIFA World Cup with Arsenal
- 2014 Won FA Cup with Arsenal
- 2014 Reached the peak of his powers at Arsenal
- 2018 Retired after a final spell at Arsenal
- Finished his career with 15 goals in 550 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 15 goals in 550 appearances and 4 major honours.
The verdict
Weighing production against honours, Wayne Rooney takes the verdict — a decisive margin, driven by a sharper goalscoring record.
Wayne Rooney edges it (a decisive margin)
