Wayne Rooney

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Liverpool) is 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. He wears the number 8 shirt for his club, vacated by Nicky Butt, and is generally given the number 9 for his country. He is well known for his potent shot and the way he intelligently operates behiind the frontman as a withdrawn striker.

Rooney was brought up in a rough urban area of eastern Liverpool called Croxteth, where he and his two brothers attended the local Christian Brothers De La Salle 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 Euro 2004 that he gained a reputation on the world stage, as he spearheaded the English attack, scoring 4 goals. England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson compared his impact to that made by the legendary Brazilian, Pelé at a similar age during the 1958 World Cup. When the current Portugal Head Coach Phil Scolari was asked to compare Pelé to Rooney he replied (diplomatically?) ‘One is black and one is white’.

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