Early life and education

david oluwatosin

Rooney was born in Croxteth,
Liverpool, to Jeanette Marie
(née Morrey) and Thomas
Wayne Rooney.[12] He is of
Irish descent[13][14] and was
brought up as a Roman
Catholic[15][16] with younger
brothers Graham and
John;[17] all three attended
Our Lady and St Swithin's
primary school[18] and De La
Salle School.[19] He grew up
supporting Everton.[20] He
admired Brazilian striker
Ronaldo with Rooney stating
“as an out-and-out forward
he was probably the
best.“[21]
Club career
Everton
Youth squads
Rooney began playing for
Liverpool Schoolboys and
scored 72 goals in one
season, a record which stood
until May 2010.[22] At age
nine, Rooney played for
Copplehouse boys' club in the
local Walton and Kirkdale
junior league and scored 99
goals in his final season
before being spotted by
Everton scout Bob
Pendleton.[23] Rooney joined
Everton at age nine,[24] and
was the Everton mascot for
the Merseyside derby against
Liverpool as an 11-year-
old.[25] In the 1995–96
season, he scored 114 goals
in 29 games for Everton's
under-10s and 11s,[26] and
by the age of 15, he was
playing for the under-19s.[27]
He scored eight goals in eight
games during Everton's run to
the FA Youth Cup final in
2002.[28] This included one
goal in the final defeat against
Aston Villa and, upon scoring,
he revealed a T-shirt that read,
"Once a Blue, always a
Blue."[24] Rooney was
included in Everton's first
team squad for their training
camp in Austria in the
summer of 2002 and scored
his first senior goal in a 3–1
friendly victory over SC Weiz
on 15 July.[27]
First team breakthrough
"Rooney is the biggest
England talent I've seen
since I arrived in England.
There has certainly not
been a player under 20 as
good as him since I
became a manager here."
Arsène Wenger on Rooney
following his last-minute
goal against Arsenal in
October 2002.[29]
Rooney was an unused
substitute in Everton's 1–0
away win over Southampton
on 20 April 2002.[30] He
made his senior debut on 17
August in a 2–2 home draw
against Tottenham Hotspur,
starting the match and
assisting the first goal by Mark
Pembridge.[31] He became
the second youngest first-
team player in Everton history
behind Joe Royle.[32] In that
match, he was booed by the
Spurs fans who shouted "Who
are ya?" whenever he touched
the ball.[33] His first senior
goals came on 2 October
when he scored twice in a 3–
0 away win over Wrexham in
the second round of the
League Cup.[34] These goals
meant that Rooney was
Everton's youngest-ever
goalscorer at the time.[35]
On 19 October, five days
before his 17th birthday,
Rooney scored a last-minute
winning goal against
Arsenal.[36] The goal ended
Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten
run,[37] and also made
Rooney the youngest
goalscorer in Premier League
history, a record that has
since been surpassed twice,
by James Milner and James
Vaughan.[38] He scored in a
1–0 away win over Leeds
United 15 days later.[39]
In December, Rooney was
named 2002's BBC Young
Sports Personality of the
Year.[40] Six days after
claiming the award he scored
the winning goal against
Blackburn Rovers in a 2–1
home win.[41] His first career
red card came on Boxing Day
in a 1–1 away draw against
Birmingham City for a late
challenge on Steve
Vickers.[42] In January 2003,
Rooney signed his first
professional contract, which
made him one of world
football's highest-paid
teenagers.[43] Rooney's first
goal of 2003 came on 23
March, netting Everton's only
goal in a 2–1 loss at
Arsenal.[44] In April, he scored
a goal in Everton's 2–1 home
win over Newcastle
United,[45] before hitting a
last-minute winner against
Aston Villa in another 2–1
home win.[46] He ended his
debut season with eight goals
in 37 appearances in all
competitions for the
Toffees.[47]
Rooney scored his first goal of
the 2003–04 season in a 2–2
away draw against Charlton
Athletic on 26 August
2003.[48] He did not find the
net again until December
when he scored in a 2–1
away win over
Portsmouth,[49] and a 3–2
home win over Leicester
City.[50] His final goal of 2003
came on his 50th league
appearance, netting in a 1–0
home win over Birmingham
City on 28 December.[51] On
21 February 2004, Rooney
scored two goals in a Premier
League game for the first time
in a 3–3 away draw against
Southampton.[52] He scored
the sole goal in a 1–0 win
over Portsmouth on 13
March,[53] before scoring in a
1–1 away draw against
Leicester City one week
later.[54] He scored his final
goal of the season in a 1–1
away draw against Leeds
United on 13 April.[55]
Manchester United
2004–05 season
Rooney submitted a transfer
request in August 2004,
despite Everton having made
a new contract offer valued at
£50,000 per week.[56]
Everton then rejected a bid of
£20 million from
Newcastle,[57] and ultimately
signed for Manchester United
at the end of the month after
a £25.6 million deal was
reached.[58] It was the
highest fee ever paid for a
player under 20 years old;
Rooney was still only 18 when
he left Everton.[59] Sir Alex
Ferguson, then manager of
United, said that "There were
plenty of eyebrows raised"
when he persuaded the club's
board of directors to sanction
"a multi-million pound" move
to try to sign Rooney from
Everton.[60]
Rooney was given the number
8 shirt upon his arrival at Old
Trafford.[61] He made his
United debut on 28
September in a 6–2 home win
over Fenerbahçe in the UEFA
Champions League, scoring a
hat-trick and laying on an
assist.[62] These goals made
Rooney the youngest player to
score a hat-trick in the
Champions League aged 18
years 335 days.[63] His first
season with Manchester
United, however, ended
without winning a trophy as
they could only manage a
third-place finish in the
league,[64] and failed to
progress to the last eight of
the Champions League.[65]
United had more success in
the cup competitions, but
were edged out of the League
Cup in the semi-finals by a
Chelsea side[66] who also
won the Premier League title
that season,[67] and a
goalless draw with Arsenal in
the FA Cup final was followed
by a penalty shoot-out
defeat.[68] Rooney was
United's top league scorer
that season with 11 goals,
and was credited with the PFA
Young Player of the Year
award.[69]
2005–06 season
Rooney during
Manchester United’s 3–1
Premier League win over
Manchester City in the
derby, in which he
scored the game's first
goal.
In September 2005, Rooney
was sent off in a goalless
Champions League match
against Villarreal of Spain for
sarcastically clapping the
referee, who had booked him
for an unintentional foul on
an opponent.[70] His first
trophy with United came in
the 2005–06 League Cup,[71]
and he was also named man
of the match after scoring
twice in the final as United
won 4–0 against Wigan
Athletic.[72] His club finished
the season as Premier League
runners up, with their title
hopes ended in late April
when they lost 3–0 away to
champions Chelsea.[73]
Rooney sustained a broken
metatarsal in that game after
a tackle from Paulo Ferreira.
Rooney scored a total of 16
goals in 26 Premier League
games in the 2005–06
season.[74]
2006–07 season
Rooney was sent off in an
Amsterdam Tournament
match against Porto on 4
August 2006 after hitting
Porto defender Pepe with his
elbow.[75] He was punished
with a three-match ban by the
FA, following their receipt of a
23-page report from referee
Ruud Bossen that explained
his decision.[76] Rooney
threatened to withdraw the
FA's permission to use his
image if they did not revoke
the ban,[77] although the FA
had no power to make such a
decision.
During the first half of the
2006–07 season, Rooney
endured a ten-game scoreless
streak before scoring a hat-
trick against Bolton
Wanderers.[78] He
subsequently signed a two-
year contract extension the
following month that tied him
to United until 2012. In April
2007, Rooney scored and
assisted Chris Eagles in a
crucial 4–2 league win for
Manchester United at his
former club Everton, a game
that also became notable for
Rooney’s response to fans
that once cheered him.
In the same month, Rooney
scored two goals in an 8–3
aggregate Champions League
quarter-final win over
Roma[80] and two more in
the same competition at the
end of April, in a 3–2 semi-
final first leg victory over
Milan.[81] Rooney collected his
first Premier League title
winner's medal at the end of
the 2006–07 season.[82] He
scored 14 league goals that
season.[83]
2007–08 season
Rooney in a February
2008 match against
Arsenal
In June 2007, Rooney was
given squad number 10, last
worn by Ruud van
Nistelrooy.[84][85] Rooney
reasoned that he always loved
that number.[86] He fractured
his left metatarsal in United's
opening-day goalless draw
against Reading on 12
August,[87] the same injury
he had suffered to his right
foot in 2004.[88] After being
sidelined for six weeks, he
returned and scored in
United's 1–0 Champions
League group stage win over
Roma on 2 October.[89]
Rooney was again injured on
9 November, hurting his ankle
during a training session and
missing an additional two
weeks.[90] His next match
after injury was against
Fulham on 3 December, in
which he played 70
minutes.[91] Rooney missed
ten games and finished the
2007–08 season with 18
goals (12 of them in the
league),[74] as United
clinched the Premier
League.[92] In the Champions
League's first-ever all-English
final,[93] United defeated
league rivals Chelsea to win
another trophy.[94]
2008–09 season
Rooney takes on Andrés
Iniesta and Sergio Busquets of
Barcelona during the 2009
UEFA Champions League Final.
Rooney played in 2008 UEFA
Super Cup where United lost
to Zenit Saint Petersburg and
was unable to make an
impact.[95] On 4 October
2008, in an away win over
Blackburn, Rooney became
the youngest player to make
200 Premier League
appearances.[96] On 18
December, Rooney scored
twice in the 5–3 semi-final
victory over Japanese club
Gamba Osaka in the FIFA Club
World Cup,[97] and, after
scoring the winning goal as
United beat LDU Quito 1–0 in
the final in Yokohama,[98]
was awarded the Golden Ball
as the best player in the
tournament.[99] On 14
January after scoring 54
seconds into the 1–0 win over
Wigan, Rooney limped off
with a hamstring injury in the
eighth minute.[100] On 25
April 2009, Rooney scored his
final league goals of the
season against Tottenham;
United scored five goals in the
second half to come from 2–0
down to win 5–2; Rooney
scored two goals, set up two
and provided the assist that
led to the penalty for United's
first goal.[101] On 27 May,
Rooney played against
Barcelona in the 2009
Champions League Final in
Rome, with United losing 2–
0.[102] Rooney ended the
season with 20 goals in all
competitions. Once again, he
managed 12 goals in the
league.[74]
2009–10 season
Rooney scored in the 90th
minute of the season-opening
2009 Community Shield,
although United lost the game
to Chelsea on penalties.[103]
He then scored the only goal
of the first league game of the
2009–10 season against
Birmingham City, taking his
overall United tally to 99.[104]
On 22 August, he became the
20th Manchester United player
to score 100 goals for the
club, when he found the net
twice in a 5–0 away win at
Wigan.[105] On 29 August,
United played Arsenal at Old
Trafford. Rooney scored a
goal from the penalty spot to
level the game after Andrey
Arshavin had put the Gunners
ahead. The game finished 2–1
to Manchester United after
Abou Diaby scored an own
goal.[106] On 28 November
2009, Rooney scored his first
hat-trick for three years in a
4–1 away victory against
Portsmouth, with two of the
goals being penalties.[107] On
27 December 2009, he was
awarded Man of the Match
against Hull City. He was
involved in all the goals scored
in the game, hitting the
opener and then giving away
the ball for Hull's equalising
penalty. He then forced Andy
Dawson into conceding an
own goal and then set up
Dimitar Berbatov for United's
third goal which gave them a
3–1 victory.[108] On 30
December 2009, Rooney
scored another goal as United
beat Wigan 5–0 in their final
game of the decade.[109]
Rooney in a November
2009 Premier League
match against Everton
On 23 January 2010, Rooney
scored all four goals in
Manchester United's 4–0 win
over Hull; three of the goals
came in the last ten minutes
of the match. This was the
first time in his career that he
registered four goals in a
single match.[110] On 27
January 2010, he continued
his scoring run by heading
the winner in the second
minute of stoppage time
against derby rivals
Manchester City. This gave
United a 4–3 aggregate win,
taking them into the final; it
was his first League Cup goal
since netting two in the 2006
final.[111] On 31 January
2010, Rooney scored his
100th Premier League goal in
a 3–1 win over Arsenal for the
first time in the league at
Emirates Stadium, notably his
first Premier League goal also
came against Arsenal.[112] On
16 February 2010, Rooney hit
his first European goals of the
season, scoring two headers
in the 3–2 away win against
Milan in Manchester United's
first ever win against them at
the San Siro.[113] On 28
February 2010, he scored
another header against Aston
Villa (his fifth consecutive
headed goal) which resulted
in Manchester United winning
the League Cup final 2–1.[114]
In the second leg of United's
European tie against Milan,
Rooney scored a brace in a
resounding 4–0 home victory,
taking his tally of goals that
season to 30.[115] He then
added two more to his tally
five days later at Old Trafford,
in a 3–0 league win over
Fulham.[116]
On 30 March, during United's
Champions League quarter-
final first leg defeat against
Bayern Munich at the Allianz
Arena, Rooney crumpled
when he twisted his ankle in
the last minute, hobbling off
while Bayern were producing
the buildup that led to their
second goal.[117] There were
fears that he had received
serious ligament damage or
even a broken ankle, but it
was announced that the
injury was only slight ligament
damage, and that he would be
out for two-to-three
weeks,[118] missing United's
crunch match with Chelsea
and the return leg against
Bayern the following
week.[118] The team list for
second leg yielded a massive
surprise when Rooney was
given a starting place in the
United line-up.[119] Despite a
3–0 lead by the 41st minute,
Bayern snatched a goal back
and United were later forced
down to 10 men after Rafael
was sent-off. Bayern won the
match after netting a second
away-goal[119] and Rooney
was substituted after re-
damaging his ankle. On 25
April, Rooney was named the
2010 PFA Players' Player of the
Year.[120]
2010–11 season
On 28 August 2010, Rooney
scored his first goal of the
season as he netted a penalty
in a 3–0 home win over West
Ham United.[121] In October,
Manchester United manager
Sir Alex Ferguson stated at a
press conference that Rooney
wanted to quit the club.[122]
This came after a period of
dispute as to the extent of
Rooney's ankle injury, where
Rooney had refuted
Ferguson's claim that the
injury was the reason Rooney
had been dropped to the
bench.[123] Rooney and his
representatives released a
statement regarding his
decision to leave the club,
insisting it was not down to
money but ambition.[124]
Following this statement,
Rooney made a dramatic U-
turn and agreed a new five-
year contract at Manchester
United until June 2015.[125]

Early life and education

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