England and Manchester United legend hints striker may have been overwhelmed by pressure of the big stage
Wayne Rooney has sparked debate by questioning Erling Haaland after striker’s decision not to take Manchester City’s high-pressure penalty during the FA Cup final, suggesting the moment might have been too big for the Norwegian.
Haaland, City’s blistering forward and multi-goal hero, stepped aside at the grand stage as teammate Omar Marmoush, who has only joined the club in January, took the crucial spot-kick. It was a critical moment of the game, because Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson saved the penalty to keep the game level. Palace would go on to win their first-ever trophy at Manchester City’s expense.
For Rooney, the decision revealed something deeper about the psychological gap between today’s best players and their predecessors.
“Erling Haaland is a world-class forward, but when we are talking about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, there is no way they are giving that ball away,” Rooney said on the BBC’s coverage.
“That is what separates them two players from Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe and these players. They are selfish and they want to score every game.”
While Haaland has established himself as one of the most prolific forwards in Europe, Rooney believes his apparent reluctance to take on the responsibility from the spot at Wembley, coupled with his visible frustration after missed chances, may hint at a mindset that just isn’t at the level of strength required yet.
“When he misses chances I think you can see it gets to him and it does affect him,” he added. “Maybe the thought of taking a penalty at Wembley might have been too much for him. You never know, he is a human being.”
City boss Pep Guardiola confirmed after the match that there was no designated penalty taker.
“I thought he would want to take it but they didn’t speak,” Guardiola admitted. “That moment for the penalty, it’s the feeling and how they feel. They decided Omar was ready to take it.
“Omar took a lot of time when the ball was stopped, so it put more pressure on him, and Henderson made a good save.”
