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Wayne Rooney

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Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Personal information
Full name Wayne Mark Rooney
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 8
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 July 2006

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Liverpool) is an English footballer, widely considered to be one of the leading young talents in world football – in September 2005 he was selected by his fellow professionals as the inaugural FIFPro World Young Player of the Year. He currently plays for Manchester United and the England national football team as a second striker, although the 2005-06 season has seen Rooney playing both centrally and on the left and right flanks (because he is completely two-footed). He wears the number 8 shirt for his club, and is generally given the number 9 for his country.

Rooney was brought up in a rough urban area of eastern Liverpool called Croxteth, where he and his two brothers attended the local De La Salle Catholic School.

Although he has been under an intense media spotlight since first arriving on the scene in 2002, it was not until his performances at the Template:Ec2 that he gained a reputation on the world stage, as he spearheaded the English attack, scoring 4 goals. England coach Sven-Göran Eriksson compared his impact to that made by the legendary Brazilian, Pelé, at a similar age during the 1958 World Cup. When Portugal's current coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was asked to compare Pelé to Rooney, he replied, "One is black and one is white."[1]

Career

Premiership breakthrough

Rooney gained national prominence in October 2002 when he became the youngest goal scorer in the history of the Premiership at 16 years and 360 days while playing for Everton F.C. (though this record has since been surpassed twice). His goal against then-champions Arsenal was a last-minute winner. At the end of 2002 he won the BBC Sports Young Personality of the Year award.

England career

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 February 12, 2003, aged 17 years, 111 days. This record has since been surpassed by Theo Walcott, who came off the bench to play in England's friendly against Hungary on May 30, 2006. England's youngest ever player previous to Rooney was James F. M. Prinsep of Clapham Rovers, who made his debut almost one and a quarter centuries before, on April 5, 1879, aged 17 years, 253 days. Rooney is also the youngest England scorer ever (17 years, 317 days).

His reputation as one of the world's most exciting young players was further enhanced by his impressive performances for England at Euro 2004 in Portugal. At the tournament, Rooney became the youngest player ever to score in the European Football Championships, when on 17 June 2004 he scored twice against Switzerland; although the Swiss player, Johan Vonlanthen, broke this record against France four days later. Unfortunately Rooney was injured early in the quarter final match against Portugal and England were subsequently knocked out.

World Cup 2006 doubts

There was concern for Rooney's fitness ahead of the current World Cup after the fourth metatarsal on his right foot was broken, possibly in several places, following a seemingly innocuous challenge from Paulo Ferreira during Manchester United's 3-0 defeat away at Chelsea on April 29, 2006, putting him out of action for an estimated six weeks.[3]

A bone scan on 25 May 2006 suggested he would not be expected to return in time for the World Cup group ties, with a decision to be made on his return to training after these games had passed. Shortly afterwards his international manager confirmed he would travel with the squad to Germany, and would return to have another bone scan on 7 June. Ahead of this scan, Wayne claimed to be feeling fine and was "300% confident" of his own fitness. Rooney was reported to be back, doing light training on 2 June 2006, working on kicking the ball and running. [4]

On June 7, Wayne Rooney had his second scan, with reports saying he would play in the World Cup as he boarded a flight to Baden-Baden to regroup with the England squad.[5]

On June 8, Sven Göran Eriksson said: "he's injury free" and that "he just needs to get back his fitness before he can play". Eriksson hinted at a possible involvement in the later group stage matches and almost certainly, should England progress, in the second round of the competition. . On June 15, Sven Göran Eriksson and FA doctors declared Rooney match fit in time for the match against Trinidad & Tobago. Prior to the match there was much speculation as to whether he would be risked by playing him at this stage; the speculation was ended when he entered the match in the 58th minute, replacing Michael Owen. Although Rooney did not score, or have a major role in the goals, England's fans were keen to see him running as he normally does, and also putting one of his inch perfect through balls through to a team-mate which he did not on this occasion. On June 18, Eriksson announced that Rooney would be starting England's next game. Rooney's rush into play was much to the dismay of his home club, Manchester United, who were concerned that a full recovery would be jeopardized.

On June 20, Rooney started in the final group match, England against Sweden, helping England to a 2-2 draw.

On June 25, Rooney once started England's second rounds (last sixteen) game against Ecuador Although he failed to score, he looked lively and appears to be on the road to full fitness.

On July 1, Rooney was sent off in the quarter final against Portugal which finished with England's exit from the tournament. He became only the third English player to be sent off in a World Cup Finals. Due to his sending off, he will miss England's opening Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra on 2 September.

Transfers

Before turning 17 and becoming eligible for a professional contract, he was playing for £80 a week and living with his family on a council estate. That has since been raised several times and Rooney now earns an estimated £50,000 (€73,500 / $90,000) a week. Following intense media coverage of Rooney at the 2004 European Championships, Everton claimed that they would not transfer his contract for less than £50 million. The club offered Rooney a new contract for £27,000 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 Times newspaper reported rumours that Newcastle's initial bid was made at the request of Rooney's agent, who eventually made £1.5 million from the deal and employs the son of the Newcastle United chairman. This bid was intended to force Manchester United to try to buy the player a year earlier than they had planned. In any event, the Newcastle United bid succeeded in forcing Manchester United to enter the bidding. Rooney handed in a transfer request to Everton and on 31 August 2004 Rooney signed for Manchester United after a deal worth up to £27 million was agreed. The deal took place rapidly, and was concluded just hours before the transfer deadline.

The initial fee of £23m is to be paid directly to Everton Football Club over two years; the rest of the money depends on appearances and/or success at Manchester United and/or England. It is unlikely the fee will reach the maximum £27m due to the complex nature of the contract drawn up by the two clubs. A final fee in the region of £25m plus costs (mainly agents' fees) is more likely. In the club's 2004-05 accounts, Rooney's contract is recorded as having a book cost of £25.066 million as at 30 June 2005, with contingent payables of £4 million, giving a maximum final fee of £29.066 million including costs. [2]

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 does, however, have the honour of being the most expensive teenage footballer ever, being only 18 when Manchester United signed him.

Rooney made his debut for the club 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. Pundits and fans alike agreed that he seemed less effective in such positions. 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 the Man of The Match in the Carling Cup final against Wigan Athletic, after scoring 2 goals in the final (a 4-0 victory for United), en route to winning his first senior medal. He was also a member of the United side defeated on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup final by Arsenal.

Disciplinary issues

Rooney is also known for his hot temper and ill-discipline on the pitch.[6] In September 2005, against Northern Ireland, Rooney launched an on-field outburst at England captain David Beckham,[7] but since then, the pair have played down the bust-up.

His temper problems also came to the forefront in the 0-0 draw with Villarreal during United's Champions League encounter in Spain. Rooney was sent off for dissent after he sarcastically applauded the referee, Kim Milton Nielsen after he was initially booked.[8]

Rooney has pledged to keep his temper under control and both his club and international managers have defended him, citing his youth as the main reason for his behaviour. It is known that other teams and players are familiar with Rooney's disciplinary problems and sometimes use them against him, teasing him or provoking him.[9] Since the 2004-05 season he has been trying to keep his temper in check, as shown by a drop in cards received in the 2005-06 season.

During the FIFA World Cup 2006 match between England and Sweden, Rooney was substituted in the 70th minute, Rooney, on his way to the bench, punched one of the boxes very aggressively, and then he took off his shoes angrily, throwing them off.[3] While being offered a glass of water, Rooney straight away rejected it. England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson later explained this as Rooney being angry with himself for failing to reach his own high standards in the game, rather than his being angry with the manager for substituting him.

In the quarter-final match with Portugal, Rooney was sent off after an incident during the 62nd minute of the match. He became only the third English player to be given a red card while playing a match in a World Cup Finals. Rooney was struggling to gain proper control of the ball as he was involved in a tangle with Ricardo Carvalho and Armando Petit, during which he stepped on Carvalho's groin. The incident occurred right in front of Argentinian referee Horacio Elizondo. As play was stopped, Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney's Manchester United team-mate, remonstrated with the referee to take action against Rooney. Rooney then pushed Ronaldo and was shown the red card for what was initially thought to be a combination of the incidents involving Carvalho and Ronaldo[4]. However, on July 4, referee Horacio Elizondo told the London Times that the red card was due to the alleged stamp on Carvalho, and not the scuffle afterwards. He said "It was violent play and therefore he got a red card. People can say what they want (about Ronaldo) but this had absolutely no influence. For me it was a clear red card, so I didn't react to the Portuguese players."[5]

After the match, the BBC pundit team, led by Gary Lineker, showed a clip of what they found interesting, in light of Rooney's dismissal. Before the match Rooney's Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo approached him from behind and aggressively placed his head close to Rooney before speaking directly into his ear [6]. Rooney's reaction and the look on Ronaldo's face suggested that the act was far from playful. Following the dismissal of Rooney, Ronaldo was seen winking at the Portuguese bench [7]. In the BBC studio at the ground, former England striker Alan Shearer commented "I think there is every chance Rooney could go back to the Manchester United training ground and stick one on Ronaldo". On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo said, in a post match press conference, that he had not urged the referee to take out a red card, but just pointed out that Rooney had committed a foul.

On July 3, Rooney released a statement saying, "I bear no ill feeling to Cristiano but am disappointed that he chose to get involved. I suppose I do though have to remember that on that particular occasion we were not team-mates." He also claimed that his actions were accidental. He also defended his own actions in the statement: "I want to say absolutely categorically that I did not intentionally put my foot down on Ricardo Carvalho. He slid in from behind me and unfortunately ended up in a positioning where my foot was inevitably going to end up as I kept my balance. That's all there was to it. When the referee produced the red card I was amazed - gobsmacked."[8]

Personal life

Rooney has rarely been out of the media spotlight since his emergence, and has received criticism for his relationship with fiancée Coleen McLoughlin, who is often featured in the tabloid press for her shopping habits. They currently live in the village of Prestbury in Cheshire.

Press accusations

Rooney's personal life has also often been marred by accusations from the press surrounding his visits to prostitutes, which he later unequivocally confirmed. [10]

In April 2006, newspapers suggested that he owed in excess of £700,000 in gambling debts,[11] possibly connected to a business partner of Michael Owen.[12] Days later, he accepted £100,000 (which he donated to charity) in libel damages from The Sun and News of the World newspapers which had claimed he had assaulted his fiancée in a nightclub. [13]

Publishing deal

On 9 March 2006 Rooney signed the largest sports book deal in publishing history with the publishers HarperCollins.[14] He is to receive a £5 million advance, plus royalties, for a minimum of five books to be published over a twelve-year period. The first book, an autobiography, is scheduled to be published after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Trivia

  • Rooney's childhood football hero is former England and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer.
  • The April 18, 2006 issue of the respected German soccer magazine Kicker featured an article about Rooney (p. 79 and 80), and the following facts were presented:
    • Rooney has signed lucrative contracts with Nike, Nokia, Ford, Asda and Coca Cola. His marketing value is estimated at €46 million, making him the third-highest rated football player behind Ronaldinho and David Beckham. As a side note, he is featured on 500 million Coca-Cola cans.
    • Rooney's (yet to be published) autobiography earned him a record advance payment of €7.5 million.
    • When he moved to Manchester United and was told to find a home in the posh area of Cheshire, Rooney passed a pub which he thought was named "Admiral Rooney" and saw it as a good omen for his future home. It actually was "Admiral Rodney", but Rooney chose the place, Prestbury anyway.
    • His favourite foods are spaghetti, salad, sausages, eggs, chips and baked beans, and his favourite drink is Diet Coke.
    • Rooney's favourite musicians are rappers Eminem and Kanye West. His favourite film is Grease, and his favourite TV series is Only Fools And Horses. Moreover, he is an avid reader of the Harry Potter series.
    • He enjoys boxing, and idolises Mike Tyson.
  • He also likes the Welsh band Stereophonics. [citation needed]
  • Footballers' Wives character Callum Watson is based directly on Wayne Rooney.[citation needed] Elements of Rooney can also be found in characters Darius Fry and Harley Lawson.
  • The Daily Mirror "Scorer" cartoon strip features a young, brash, anti-social character called Wayne Sutton, based in part on Rooney's on-field antics.
  • Rooney has a cross tattoo on his upper arm.
  • Rooney is nicknamed 'Wazza'[15] by his Manchester United and England teammates.

Quotes

"Wayne can be the best in the world in two years". Sir Alex Ferguson

"I'm not trying to unsettle him or tap him up, but Wayne Rooney is a player I like. It's true I may try to do a deal this summer." Arsène Wenger

"You go through all the greats at Manchester United and you've certainly got to put him in there." George Best

"He is a phenomenal player and has all the attributes and talent to be a huge star of the finals. In many ways, Rooney reminds me of myself because he is arrogant on the field and wants the ball all the time." Diego Maradona

References

  1. ^ "Wayne Rooney biography"
  2. ^ "Beckham Happy for Rooney"
  3. ^ "Injured Rooney a World Cup doubt", BBC Sport, 30 April 2006. Retrieved 21 May 2006.
  4. ^ "Rooney improvement buoys Eriksson", BBC Sport, 2 June 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2006.
  5. ^ "Rooney poised for World Cup role", BBC Sport, 8 June 2006
  6. ^ "Rooney's red mist", BBC News, 15 September 2005. URL accessed on 18 June 2006.
  7. ^ "Northern Ireland 1-0 England", BBC News, 7 September 2005. URL accessed on 18 June 2006.
  8. ^ "Villarreal 0-0 Man Utd", BBC News, 14 September 2005. URL accessed on 18 June 2006.
  9. ^ "Rooney told to expect torrid time", BBC News, 23 February 2005. URL accessed on 18 June 2006.
  10. ^ "Rooney admits prostitute visits", BBC News, 22 August 2004. Retrieved 21 May 2006.
  11. ^ "Red Devils boss defends Rooney", RTÉ, 10 April 2006. Retrieved 21 May 2006.
  12. ^ "Rooney/Owen dismiss gambling rift", BBC Sport, 10 April 2006. Retrieved 21 May 2006
  13. ^ "Rooney wins £100k damages", Guardian Unlimited, 12 April 2006. Retrieved 21 May 2006.
  14. ^ "Striker Rooney nets £5m book deal", BBC News, 10 March 2006. URL accessed on 7 June 2006.
  15. ^ "Rooney can decide England's fate", BBC Sport, 20 June 2006
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Preceded by PFA Young Player of the Year
2005, 2006 		Succeeded by
current holder
Preceded by
none
 FIFPro Young Player of the Year
(Players' Vote)
2005 		Succeeded by
current holder


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