Biographie
Wayne Mark Rooney was born on October 24, 1985, in Croxteth, Merseyside. He is a professional footballer best known for his time with Manchester United, Everton, and the England national team. Growing up as an Everton supporter, Rooney was scouted by his favorite club as a child and joined their youth academy. He progressed through the ranks and made his senior debut at 16 in August 2002 against Tottenham Hotspur. Rooney gained widespread attention after scoring a remarkable winning goal against Arsenal at Goodison Park, ending Arsenal's then-record 30-match unbeaten streak. Arsène Wenger praised him as "the biggest England talent I've seen since I arrived in England," adding that no player under 20 had impressed him as much since he became a manager in England.
After two seasons with Everton, Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson signed Rooney for £25.6 million, a record fee for a player under 20. Rooney made an immediate impact at United, finishing the season as the club's top scorer with 17 goals across all competitions. He was named PFA Young Player of the Year for the 2004/05 season. Rooney became a consistent goal-scoring threat, netting double-digit Premier League goals for 11 consecutive seasons. During his tenure at Manchester United from 2004 to 2017, he won five Premier League titles, one Champions League, one FA Cup, and four League Cups. He was also voted Premier League Player of the Year for the 2009/10 season.
After 13 years at Manchester United, Rooney returned to Everton on a free transfer. In just one season back, he scored his 200th Premier League goal and became the league's third-highest assist provider, surpassing Frank Lampard with 103 assists. In 2018, Rooney joined MLS side D.C. United for one season before returning to England to take on a player-coach role at Derby County.
Rooney married his childhood sweetheart, Coleen McLoughlin, in 2008, and they have four sons: Kai, Kit, Klay, and Cass. He retired as England's youngest and all-time leading goal-scorer and remains Manchester United's record goal-scorer, cementing his status as a football legend.
