Wayne Rooney has branded the joke aimed at Harry Maguire by a Ghanaian politician 'crazy' amid his excellent displays for England at the World Cup.
Manchester United captain Maguire has often been on the receiving end of mockery and harsh criticism over the last 18 months. Still, it took a strange turn earlier this week as he became a talking point in Ghana's parliament. MP Issac Adongo labelled the nation's vice president, Mahamudu Bawumia, an 'economic Maguire,' comparing his performance to the centre-back's recent struggles at Old Trafford.
"Harry Maguire, he's a defender. He was tackling everybody and throwing his body everywhere," Adongo said to fits of laughter from those in attendance. "He was seen as the best defender in the world. Manchester United went and bought him. He became the biggest threat at the centre of the Manchester United defence, tackling Manchester players and giving assists to opponents.
"Mr. Speaker, you remember in this country we also have an economic Maguire. We're clapping saying this man is the best in managing foreign terms. Mr Speaker why we gave this Maguire the opportunity to be at the centre of our defence? He became the rest of our own goals. Our economic Maguire is taking control of the fundamentals of our economy and destroying all of them."
Rooney addressed the incident in his column for The Times, writing: "On social media this week I saw someone in the Ghanaian parliament making fun of Harry Maguire. It was crazy, because Harry has been outstanding at this World Cup. I predicted he would do well – because he always does well for England and never lets Gareth Southgate down. He’s simply a very good defender with a strong mentality.
"I should declare that Harry and I have the same representatives and I know him well. I think one of the differences, when he plays for England compared to Manchester United is there are more players in front of him and he gets more protection. But you can see he plays with more freedom too – especially when he drives forward with the ball.
"John Stones has been excellent too and together Harry and John look as solid a centre back pairing as England have had. They look better than at the last World Cup – and they did well there. Harry is very good at shutting out the noise, and defence has been a strength for England at this tournament."