Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero: Who was the better striker in their prime?

Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero: Who was the better striker in their prime?

Samuel Lisubila
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:13 PM

The English Premier League is arguably the most challenging football league in the world. It attracts the best players in the world, and with the competition, it draws the highest global television audience of all European leagues. On many occasions, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero have been listed as the league's most celebrated forwards.

Who was the better striker in their prime?
Wayne Rooney (left) and Sergio Aguero (Right): Photos by Tom Purslow and Michael Reagan. (Modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Many may say that Rooney was an early bloomer, having his peak at an early age. They say this might have affected his senior career, and they believe he might have done better if he had an average prime time. On the other hand, Sergio Aguero had a standard growth curve, bagging the most goals in the EPL by a player for one club.

Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero

The two players became vital in the two top-flight teams in the Premier League. Wayne Rooney, also known as Wazza, is one of the most successful Manchester United players compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.

On the other hand, Sergio Aguero is considered one of the greatest strikers of his generation and one of the all-time best Premier League players bagging awards every other season with the Blues.

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Profile summaries

Full name

Wayne Mark Rooney

Sergio Leonel Aguero del Castillo

Nickname

Wazza

Kun Aguero

Gender

Male

Male

Date of birth

24 October 1985

2 June 1988

Age

36 as of 2022

34 as of 2022

Place of birth

Liverpool, England

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Nationality

English

Argentine, Spanish

Height in feet

5 feet 9 inches

5 feet 8 inches

Height in centimetres

176

173

Weight in kilograms

77

83

Weight in pounds

169

182

Spouse

Coleen Rooney

Giannina Maradona

Current team

Head Coach D.C United

Retired

Jersey no.

10

10

Strong foot

Right

Right

Net worth

$170 million

$80 million

Socials

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney's stats
Wayne Rooney, manager of Derby County, during the Sky Bet Championship match between Derby County and Luton Town at Pride Park, Derby, on Tuesday, 19 October 2021. Photo: Jon Hobley
Source: Getty Images

Wazza is currently the manager for Major League Soccer club D.C United. He is also the former manager of the English club Derby County.

His career began during his childhood when he joined the Everton youth team at nine and made his professional debut in 2002 while he was 16 years old. After two seasons at the Merseyside club, he moved to Manchester United for $25 million in the 2004 Summer transfer window.

Rooney played for the red devils from 2004 to 2017, where he had the best time of his football career. He had multiple achievements, where he won 16 trophies and became the only English player alongside Michael Carrick to win the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, League Cup, UEFA Europa League, and FIFA Club World Cup.

At the same time, he became the club's top goal scorer of all time after scoring 253 goals in all competitions. He did this with 183 Premier League goals (the third most scored by a player for a single club).

On International levels, the English striker made his debut in England in 2003 at 17 and soon became England's youngest goalscorer. Later, he featured at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cups, became England's second-most-capped player and record goal scorer, and was widely regarded as England's best player. He is the Premier League's second-top scorer of all time (208) and has the third-highest number of assists (103).

Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero's stats
Sergio Aguero of FC Barcelona during a conference to announce his retirement from football on 15 December 2021 at Camp Nou. Photo: Alex Caparros
Source: Getty Images

He is the Argentine former football striker for Manchester City and the Argentina National team. Thanks to his prowess in the game, he is considered one of the best all-time players of the club, while he holds records as the team's all-time top goal scorer and has the most Premier League hat-tricks (12).

His journey in football began while he was young at the Argentine club Independente where he became the youngest player to play in the Argentine Primera Division at only 15 years and 35 days old.

In 2006, he moved to Atletico Madrid for a fee estimated at $23 million. He performed incredibly and won various titles, including the Don Balon, Golden Boy, and the World Soccer Young Player of the Year. In addition, he was an essential piece of the team, winning the UEFA Euro League and the UEFA Super Cup.

Kun Aguero was now a household name and moved to Manchester City in 2011 at a $35 million transfer. He led the team to win their first Premier League title after 44 years with a last-minute goal.

He stayed at the club for ten years, winning multiple trophies; 6 EFL cups, the FA cup, and the UEFA Champions League final. Personal accolades include being the PFA team of the year, being the fifth All-time Premier League top scorer, and being the highest non-English scorer with 184 goals. He later moved to Barcelona, where he got a career-ending injury that made him retire at 33.

Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero stats

Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero stats
Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero. Photos: Matthew Peters and Shaun Botterill. Photo edited by author
Source: Getty Images

The two players were prolific and had impressive stats to back them up. Below is a summary of their senior year and National team performances.

Wayne Rooney

Senior career

Years

Team

Appearances

Goals

2002-2004

Everton

67

15

2004-2017

Manchester United

393

183

2017-2018

Everton

31

10

2018-2019

D.C United

48

23

2020-2021

Derby County

30

6

Total

569

237

National team

2000-2001

England U15

4

2

2001-2002

England U17

12

7

2002-2003

England U19

1

0

2003-2018

England

120

53

Sergio Aguero

Senior career

Years

Team

Appearances

Goals

2003-2006

Independente

54

23

2006-2011

Atletico Madrid

175

74

2011-2021

Manchester City

275

184

2021

Barcelona

4

1

Total

508

282

National team

2004

Argentina U17

5

3

2005-2007

Argentina U20

11

6

2008

Argentina U23

5

2

2006-2021

Argentina

101

41

Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero trophies

The centre-forwards are incredible on the pitch and have earned multiple trophies throughout their career. Kun Aguero is the club's record goalscorer, winning 5 Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and six League Cups.

On the other hand, Wayne Rooney won 5 Premier League titles, an FA cup, 3 EFL cups, 4 FA Community Shield trophies, a Champions League, 1 UEFA Europa League, and a FIFA Club World Cup.

Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero goals

Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero goals
Wayne Rooney (left) and Sergio Aguero (right). Photos: Matthew Peters and Shaun Botterill. Modified by author
Source: Getty Images

One major strength of both strikers was their ability to strike the ball behind the net frequently, and they are considered some of the best goalscorers in the EPL. Wazza was with the red devils for 13 years, while Aguero played for the Blues for a decade. During their time in the clubs, Rooney made 559 appearances, scoring 253 goals, while his counterpart made 368 appearances and scored 254 goals.

At the same time, they were playmakers who made several vital assists. The Englishman had 146 assists, while the Argentine had only 47.

Who has more red cards between Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero?

Despite being strikers, they were sometimes sent off the pitch thanks to their heavy fouls. Aguero had four red cards and 69 yellow cards, while Rooney had three red cards and 101 yellow cards.

Who is a better striker between Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero?

Who is a better striker between Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero
Wayne Rooney of Manchester United celebrates with his son Kai and the Premier League trophy at Old Trafford on 12 May 2013, in Manchester, England. Photo: John Peters
Source: Getty Images

Both are great strikers and are considered some of the best in the Premier League. However, Wazza was not as lethal as the Argentine infront of the goal, with his goals-to-game ratio significantly lower. Aguero's total Goal-to-game ratio in the EPL is 0.69, while Rooney's is 0.42.

The debate on Wayne Rooney vs Sergio Aguero is eternal, as both players were great strikers in their prime. However, most of their stats go head-to-head, and while sports pundits may try to debug their differences, fans already have their favourites.

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Authors
Samuel Lisubila photo
Samuel Lisubila