Having now watched Virgil van Dijk’s interview next to Wayne Rooney dozens of times, it’s not the words themselves that stand out but the gestures, expressions, and timing.
First there is the knowing smile on Van Dijk’s face as he calls criticism of Liverpool’s start to the season “over the top” when speaking to Amazon Prime after their win over Real Madrid.
Then there is the slight lift of the microphone from a smiling Rooney, who is clearly eager to defend himself knowing that Van Dijk’s comments are referring to him, having last week called the Liverpool captain’s body language a concern on his eponymous podcast.
And finally there is the clean sweep of smiles etched across the faces of Gabby Logan, Robbie Fowler, Theo Walcott and Daniel Sturridge as well, the quartet only missing buckets of popcorn to capture their mood as Van Dijk says, “It would be good if ex-players that played at the highest level, that dealt with difficult moments as well, would put things in perspective.”
A box-office pitchside exchange between Van Dijk and Rooney ensues, and all the while away from Anfield no doubt Gary Lineker was smiling wryly as well. So too Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville, and every other high-profile footballer who has since become a high-profile pundit.
This felt like Wazza’s initiation. A welcome to the world of punditry and its endless cycle, where every action has a reaction and the influx of podcasts has only made the realm even noisier.
Lineker found this out at Euro 2024, less than a year after the launch of his The Rest is Football podcast, where he called England’s display against Denmark “shit”, an assessment few fans disagreed with but made headlines nevertheless.
In turn, Harry Kane responded (when questioned), warning ex-England players to “remember what it is like to wear the shirt and that their words are listened to”. Lineker then said on his next podcast: “Made the headlines again, haven’t I?”
And here you have the cycle, one Carragher and Neville know all too well since they took football punditry to a new level during the age of social media.
There, largely on X, but Facebook, Instagram and TikTok too, second-long snippets taken from hours of analysis evolve into a beast of their own, meaning what may have felt like a throwaway comment in the high-pressure scenario of live television has suddenly become a viral clip.
As such, Carragher’s punditry has led to responses from managers including Jose Mourinho, Erik ten Hag and Ange Postecoglou, likewise Neville with Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim.
The cycle is typically pushed by journalists, identified by Lineker during Euro 2024 as not being “brave enough” to ask questions themselves and instead finding it easier to reference a pundit’s opinion when confronting managers or players.
To a great degree, he’s right, although an important caveat here is that most journalists do not believe their opinion carries more weight than Lineker, Carragher, Neville et al.
What makes Rooney’s exchange with Van Dijk all the more fascinating then is the removal of this cowardly middle person, the humble journalist, instead pitting player and pundit in the same space.
The pair go toe to toe in an admirably mature face-to-face discussion, with more than 250k having watched this back on YouTube already, meaning other broadcasters will surely be taking notes.
Certainly Sky, who tend to favour the studio format over pitchside for big matches, may find themselves asking Carragher and Neville if they are willing to follow Rooney’s lead.
As for Rooney himself, he is still in the infancy of his punditry career and what path he takes from here will prove fascinating.
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I am aware of at least one high-profile pundit in the recent past who requested that his quotes were not written up by journalists for the broadcaster’s website, having claimed some comments were taken out of the wider context.
The pundit in question was less willing than others to see their words staring back at them in print, suddenly realising what they say has consequences. The fact other outlets were picking up on their standout quotes anyway essentially rendered this request futile.
Rooney though, as he was in his playing days, looks unlikely to back down, and though some have gone with “awkward” for this exchange with Van Dijk it was a sign he is not afraid to capture the attention of big-name players.
The smile in particular suggested he is up for more sparring in the months and years to come, and no doubt the BBC will be licking its lips come the next instalment of the Wayne Rooney Show, where the cycle will undoubtedly continue.
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