Wayne Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is a footballer who
currently plays for Manchester United and the England national
football team. 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 suburb of eastern Liverpool called
Croxteth, where he and his two brothers attended De La Salle
School.
As a player, Rooney is noted not only for the deft touch and
pace typical of a teenage virtuoso, but also for his strength
and physical presence which are more usually the hallmarks of
mature players. While constantly surrounded by media hype and
observation since first bursting onto the scene in 2002, it was
not until his performances at the UEFA European Championships in
Portugal during 2004 that he gained a reputation on the world
stage as he spearheaded the English attack - several
commentators comparing his impact to that made by the legendary
Brazilian Pelé at a similar age during the 1958 World Cup. Other
commentators, perhaps prematurely, have compared him to
Manchester United legend Eric Cantona.
Career
Premiership breakthrough
Rooney first 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 of age, while playing for
Everton. His goal was a sensational last-minute winner against
the then-League champions Arsenal that consigned them to their
first league defeat in almost a year, plus at the very end of
2002 he won the Young Personality of the Year.
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, in February 2003
and also set a record as the youngest player to score for
England. In 2004 Rooney became the youngest player ever to score
in the European Football Championships on 17 June 2004 when he
scored twice against Switzerland; however the Swiss player,
Johan Vonlanthen, broke this record against France four days
later.
Transfers
Before turning 17 and becoming eligible for a professional
contract, he was playing for £100 a week and living with his
family on a council estate. Now, the teenage sensation has
raised that several times and 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
pounds. The club offered Rooney a new contract for £50,000 a
week. This, however, was turned down by Rooney on the 27 August
2004, leaving Manchester United and Newcastle United to battle
for his services.
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. In return for making a bid that would
force Manchester United to try to buy the player a year earlier
than they had planned, Newcastle would be allowed to bid for a
Manchester United defender. Suspicions were further raised
because at that point in time Newcastle United had little need
for a striker having already got three top class forwards at the
club. 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 initial fee of £22m is paid directly to Everton Football
Club, 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 Everton and Manchester United. A final fee
in the region of £25m is more likely. He made his debut for the
club on 28 September 2004 in the Champions League against
Fenerbahçe, scoring a hat-trick and also an assist.
Rooney's transfer fee is the second highest for an exclusively
British deal, with only his new teammate, Rio Ferdinand
commanding a higher fee. |
