Wigan will face Manchester United in the Premiership on Saturday.
Jewell said: “I can’t believe the stick Wayne has been getting. As far as I’m concerned, he is the best footballer in the world.
“If somebody said to me ‘You can have one player in the world in your team’, that player would be Wayne Rooney.
“He can do anything on a football field. He is fast, strong, has a brilliant football brain and can turn a game with one flash of genius.”