Early life Rooney was born in Croxteth, Liverpool to Jeanette Marie (née Morrey) and Thomas Wayne Rooney.[16] He is of Irish descent[17][18] and was brought up as a Roman Catholic[19][20] with younger brothers Graham and John;[21] all three attended Our Lady and St Swithins primary school and the De La Salle Humanities College.[22] He grew up supporting Everton.[23] Club career Everton Youth squads Rooney began playing for Liverpool Schoolboys and until May 2010 he held the record of 72 goals scored in one season.[24] 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.[25] Rooney joined Everton at age nine,[26] and was the Everton mascot for the Merseyside derby against Liverpool as an 11-year-old.[27] In the 1995–96 season, he scored 114 goals in 29 games for Evertons under-10s and 11s,[28] and by 15 years old he was playing for the under-19s.[29] He scored eight goals in eight games during Evertons run to the FA Youth Cup final in 2002.[30] 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.[26] Rooney was included in the 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.[29] First team breakthrough Rooney is the biggest England talent Ive 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.[31] Rooney was an unused substitute in Evertons 1–0 away win over Southampton in April 2002.[32] His senior debut came the following season on 17 August in a 2–2 home draw against Tottenham Hotspur,[33] at this time he became the second youngest first-team player in Everton history behind Joe Royle.[34] In that match he was booed by the Spurs fans who shouted Who are ya whenever he touched the ball.[35] His first senior goals came on 2 October as he scored twice in a 3–0 away win over Wrexham in the League Cup.[36] These goals meant that Rooney was Evertons youngest-ever goalscorer at the time.[37] On 19 October, five days before his 17th birthday, Rooney scored a last-minute winning goal against Arsenal.[38] This goal ended Arsenals 30-match unbeaten run,[39] 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.[40] He scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win over Leeds United fifteen days later.[41] In December, Rooney was named 2002s BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.[42] Six days on from claiming this award he scored the winning goal against Blackburn Rovers in a 2–1 home win.[43] 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.[44] In January 2003, Rooney signed his first professional contract which made him one of world footballs highest-paid teenagers.[45] Rooneys first goal in 2003 came on 23 March, netting Evertons only goal in a 2–1 loss at Arsenal.[46] In April, he scored a goal in Evertons 2–1 home win over Newcastle United,[47] before hitting a last-minute winner against Aston Villa in another 2–1 home win.[48] He ended his debut season with 8 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees.[49] Rooney scored his first goal of the 2003–04 season in a 2–2 away draw against Charlton Athletic on 26 August 2003.[50] He did not find the net again until December when he scored in a 2–1 away win over Portsmouth,[51] and a 3–2 home win over Leicester City.[52] His final goal of 2003 came on his 50th league appearance, netting the only goal in a 1–0 home win over Birmingham City on 28 December.[53] On 21 February 2004, Rooney netted his first Premier League brace in a 3–3 away draw against Southampton.[54] He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Portsmouth on 13 March,[55] before scoring in a 1–1 away draw against Leicester City one week later.[56] He scored his final goal of the season in a 1–1 away draw against Leeds United on 13 April.[57] Manchester United 2004–05 season Rooneys agent snubbed a three-year, £12,000-a-week contract offer from Everton in August 2004, leaving Manchester United and Newcastle United to compete for his signature. Everton rejected a bid of £20 million from Newcastle,[58] and Manchester United ultimately won the bidding war with Rooney signing for them at the end of the month after a £25.6 million deal with Everton was reached.[59] It was the highest fee ever paid for a player under 20 years old; Rooney was still only 18 when he left Everton.[60] Sir Alex Ferguson, then manager of United, says that There were plenty of eyebrows raised when he persuaded the clubs board of directors to sanction a multi-million pound move to try to sign Rooney from Everton.[61] Rooney was given the number 8 shirt upon his arrival at Old Trafford.[62] He made his United debut on 28 September in a 6–2 home win over Fenerbahçe in the Champions League, scoring a hat-trick and laying on an assist.[63] These goals made Rooney the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League aged 18 years 335 days.[64] However, his first season with Manchester United ended without winning a trophy as they could only manage a third place finish in the league,[65] and failed to progress to the last eight of the Champions League.[66] United had more success in the cup competitions, but were edged out of the League Cup in the semi finals by a Chelsea side[67] who also won the Premier League title that season,[68] and a goalless draw with Arsenal in the FA Cup final was followed by a penalty shoot-out defeat.[69] However, Rooney was Uniteds top league scorer that season with 11 goals, and was credited with the PFA Young Player of the Year award.[70]
Posted on: Sun, 16 Feb 2014 01:13:21 +0000
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