No close shave for Rooney...

Forget Robin Van Persie's brilliant volleyed goal against Charlton. Forget Didier Zakora's match winning dive at White Hart Lane against Pompey. The main talking point of the Premiership weekend was the eventual likely length of Wayne Rooney's beard. Rooney has apparently stated he won't shave it off until he scores a goal.

While chances around the goal-mouth are few and far between at present, surely Rooney's sharp suited advisers will be quick to try and exploit any new advertising opportunities and product endorsements that present themselves to the England striker, courtesy of his new growth.

George Best was football's first superstar and the first to endorse commercial products in a big way, he was also uniquely loved in equal measure by women for his looks and by men for his football skills.

David Beckham is probably the nearest thing we've seen since Best. Brand Beckham is of course worth an absolute fortune. David Beckham has even gone a step further in the loving stakes, the former England captain is loved by women for his looks and admired by men for his footballing skills, but he's also something of a gay icon.

Rooney is different, he's a man's man, you would never see Wayne poncing around in a Sarong.

The former Everton star was recently described by one newspaper columnist as 'the last of the back-street footballer's'.

I'm not quite sure why he's going to be the last working-class lad to make it to the top of the English game. British sport has been built on the back of working class sporting heroes, both in the flesh and in fiction.

IF you were looking for inspiration to create a new comic book hero, Rooney would be perfect. He reminds me of Alf Tupper of 'Alf Tupper - the tough of the Track' fame, the comic book hero who appeared in both the 'Victor' and 'Rover' in the 60s. Tupper for those who don't know, Alf, was as 'hard as nails' and a working class lad, he was a welder by trade who lived on a diet of fish and chips and on occasion even slept in a tin bath. At weekends Alf the athlete wiped the floor with fellow competitors on the running track leaving others in his wake.


As far as the silver screen goes, the late Richard Harris played the part of a gritty northern working class hero in the 1963 film 'This Sporting Life', and to lesser acclaim as did Sean Bean in the football film 'When Saturday Comes'. You can imagine someone making a similar film about Rooney one day.

For now, product endorsements will no doubt be sought. Rooney might never be the new face of Hugo Boss, but how about the new face of 'Captain Bird's Eye'? There's bound to be a sponsored shave-off, with the proceeds going to Rooney's favourite charity. Obviously, we cannot rule out a big deal with Gillete Razor's too.

Last weekend was like the rest of his season so far, with no close shaves on or off the pitch. United fans will be hoping the goal comes soon, certainly before any potential promotional link-ups with ZZ TOP are mooted.