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 He is well known for his potent shot and the way he intelligently operates behiind the frontman as a withdrawn striker.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’.

Latest European Soccer World Cup News

Soccer News: Champions League Group Stage Begins Defending champion Manchester United begins Champions League play on Wednesday as group stage play gets underway. Manchester United faces Villarreal on Wednesday and it is possible that Cristiano Rona...

Soccer News: Chelsea?s Michael Essien out for Months Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien is expected to be out of action for a few months with a knee injury he suffered in Ghanas World Cup qualifier against Libya. The injury is a major blow to Chelsea who...

Conflicting Reports Regarding Ronaldo’s Future Cristiano Ronaldo could be headed to Real Madrid, or he could not. The Glazer family, who owns Manchester United are talking like Ronaldo to Real Madrid is almost a certainty but other United official...

Manchester United Soccer News: Cristiano Ronaldo?s Future to be Decided Next Week Cristiano Ronaldo has said that he will decide next week whether or not to stay with Manchester United or go to Real Madrid. Soccer Betting at SBG Global It is expected that Real Madrid will make an...

Champions League Quarterfinals Set The draw for the quarterfinals of the Soccer Betting Champions League was held on Friday and Arsenal will face Liverpool while Manchester United will play AS Roma. Barcelona takes on Schalke and Che...

Soccer Betting Tips: FC Barcelona Gaining on Real Madrid A seemingly safe lead of nine points in the Spanish League has dwindled to five for Real Madrid. FC Barcelona is rolling over everyone and is looking like a serious threat. Madrid has 56 points in fir...

UEFA Champions League Betting Review: AS Roma vs. Real Madrid AS Roma vs. Real Madrid Bet on AS Roma! Italian Serie A club AS Roma have been quite formiddable in the UEFA Champions League, posting 3 wins, 2 draws and only 1 loss during the group stages. In the...

More FootBall News

Soccer Betting 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs The Soccer Betting 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs are underway as three of the first four matches ended in draws. Kei Kamara scored late to give Houston a 1-1 draw with New York. In other first-leg matches it ...

English Premier League Betting Picks Liverpool FC maintained the top spot of the English Premier League for one week, and was looking to maintain the top spot with what would seem like an easy win against Tottenham Hotspur, who are ...

UEFA Champions League Betting Picks In the recent fixtures of the UEFA Champions League, Italian Serie A club Juventus managed to book a 2-1 home win against Spanish La Liga champions Real Madrid. This time around, Real Madrid will be...

Latest Bodog Nation Sports News

Game Face: The Strip Sports News Blog