The most talked about player in the English Premier League at the moment. This 18 year old kid is already been lauded as potentially the best player of the 21st century
Wayne Rooney plays for the English Premier League side Manchester United. He transferred to that club at the start of the 2004/2005 season from financially struggling Everton. Since the eighties, Everton have been a non-descript side fighting hard to get by in the top flight
and always in the shadow of neighbouring Liverpool FC. In the last couple of seasons, they have been aided immeasureably by young Rooney.
He was still 16 when he scored a sublime goal against Arsenal ending their 48 match unbeaten run. In so doing he became the youngest player in Evertonian (and Premiership) history to score. The goal involved dribbling around two experienced international players and chipping the ball over David Seaman (the England goalkeeper). He also came on against Leeds United and scored another irrepressible goal.
Afterwards the Arsenal coach opined that Rooney is "the biggest English talent I've seen since I arrived in England". He went on
"I saw Michael Owen at 17. he was some player then and the complete striker now, but Rooney is a different talent. He is the complete football player. He can score goals, he can create them, he can dribble."
He is seen by many as a similar player to Paul Gascoigne. Gazza frittered away his talent in the glare of the media. David Moyes, the Everton coach, was determinded that Rooney be protected from the pitfalls of early fame. New coach Alex Ferguson should continue to nuture Rooney, having already done the same for the likes of David Beckham and Ryan Giggs.
Wayne Rooney possesses a wealth of attibutes that lends credence to the hype surrounding him. He is both quick and strong. He has the low center of gravity and the ability to dribble of Maradona. He has an awareness and astuteness beyond his years. He has the potential to be one of the best players in the world.
Rooney comes from the deprived area of Croxteth in Liverpool. Unemployment and crime are high and his Everton-mad family resides in a non-descript, red-brick, three-bedroomed house. His father is unemployed and his mother is a dinner lady at a local school. Rooney always supported the Blues and his bedroomed is festooned with Everton memorabilia. He almost took up boxing (his father was an amateur boxer) but was signed by an Everton scout when he was all of 9 years old. Rooney created a stir at Youth level. He helped Everton to FA Youth Cup success and did well in the European Under 17 Championships.
Wayne Rooney is the youngest player to be included in the senior England team for over a century. He played a starring role in the European Championship in Portugal, playing a large part in England's progress to the quarter-final stage (and scoring a number of fine goals).
On his debut for Man United, which happened to be in the Champions league, Rooney scored an impressive hat-trick.