Rooney has performed well in the Premier League and the Champions League, and the clubs that Man United have faced in those competitions (Real, Barca, Bayern, Chelsea, etc.) are on par with most national teams, IMO. Maybe he just sucks in the World Cup? But I'm sure you've watched a lot more of England's international games then I have, so I guess you're better informed as to whether Rooney is the real deal or not.
As for English players in the English top flight, Sterling and Wilshere both look promising, and they're still pretty young. Although I admit I've been paying more attention to the USMNT's development (we're picking off teenagers from Mexico and Germany like crazy, and it's wonderful
).
Yeah, I meant parity. My bad. But didn't the EPL have huge success in the late 90s/early 2000s, when it was basically Arsenal vs. Man United season after season?
I'm not sure if you understood me. I was saying that La Liga is very successful, despite the fact that there is no competition whatsoever between the top teams and the rest of the league. Also, I seem to remember an English club winning the Champions League a couple of years back...