Wayne Rooney Biography

Date of Birth: 24/10/1985
Clubs: Everton, Manchester United
International: England
Honours: Premiership Champion 06/07, 07/08. Champions League 07/08

Wayne Mark Rooney was born on 24 October 1985 in Croxteth, Liverpool and currently plays for Manchester United and the England national team. His transfer fee from Everton still stands as the highest ever paid for a teenager.

Rooney was brought up in Croxteth, with a working-class family and attended the De La Salle School. Rooney grew up supporting Everton, and his childhood hero was Scottish striker Duncan Ferguson.

After excelling for Liverpool Schoolboys and The Dynamo Brownwings, Rooney was signed by Everton, on schoolboy terms, shortly before his 11th birthday.
Rooney first appeared for Everton in the youth team, and during his time there, after scoring a wonder-goal in the FA Youth Cup, he revealed a T-shirt under his jersey that read "Once a blue, Always a blue".

Rooney has been under an intense media spotlight since first arriving on the scene in the autumn of 2002, coming to the public's notice on 19 October 2002 when he scored a memorable goal against title-holders Arsenal, ending their 30-match unbeaten run. Receiving the ball some 10 yards outside the 18-yard box, Rooney brought it down firing it into the top left-hand corner of the goal, beating England keeper David Seaman and giving Everton a late 2-1 victory at Goodison Park. Rooney was five days short of his 17th birthday when he scored the goal, making him the youngest ever goalscorer in the Premiership at the time. At the end of 2002 he won the BBC Sports Young Personality of the Year.

Following intense media coverage of Rooney at Euro 2004, Everton claimed that they would not transfer his contract for less than £50 million. The club offered Rooney a new contract for £12,000 a week for three years. This, however, was turned down by Rooney's agent on the 27 August 2004, leaving Manchester United and Newcastle United to compete for his signature.

The initial fee of £23m was paid to Everton over two years; the rest of the money depends on appearances and/or success at Manchester United and/or England. It is realistic that the fee will reach the maximum £31m within the next 3 years. A final fee in the region of £30m plus costs is more likely. Rooney's transfer fee is the second highest for an exclusively British deal, with only his Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand commanding a higher fee.

Rooney made his debut for Manchester United on 28 September 2004 in the UEFA Champions League against Fenerbahçe, scoring a hat-trick and also an assist (the match finished in a 6-2 win for United).For the 2005-06 season, Rooney initially started playing in wider positions than his more favoured central role. Eventually, after Manchester United's poor run of form early in the season, Sir Alex Ferguson moved him back to his stronger position, playing behind Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy as a second striker.

He got his first professional Winners Medal in the 2006 English League Cup. He was also named Man of the Match in the League Cup final against Wigan Athletic, after scoring two goals in the final (a 4-0 victory for United), en route to winning his first senior medal.

He won his second Barclay's Premiership title and United reached the final of the Champions League in Moscow on May 21, 2008.

He has also figured prominently in recent England international matches, after having become the youngest ever player to play for England, in a friendly against Australia, on 12 February 2003, aged 17 years, 111 days.

His reputation as one of the world's most exciting young players was further enhanced by his highly regarded performances for England at Euro 2004 in Portugal. At the tournament Rooney became the youngest player ever to score in the UEFA European Football Championships, when on 17 June 2004 he scored twice against Switzerland. Unfortunately Rooney was injured early in the quarter final match against Portugal and England were subsequently knocked out on penalties.

Ahead of World Cup 2006, Rooney ws injured by John Terry, breaking a meta-tarsal. Rooney's recovery made front and back page headlines, as, aided by an oxygen tent, he made a staggering recovery, coming on as substitute for England's second group game, and starting alongside Michael Owen in the following match against Sweden.

However, the World Cup was to turn sour for Rooney. Struggling for match fitness, his frustration came to the fore as he was banished from the field for a stamp on Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho in the quarter final, and England crashed out of the tournament on penalties, with Rooney having failed to find the net.