Ladies and Gentleman, England’s all-time leading goalscorer, Wayne Rooney.
“Remember the name…” – The fact that any self-respecting football fan in the country could finish Clive Tyldesley’s memorable line in commentary, adding “Wayne Rooney” in emphatic fashion, is testament to Rooney’s impact on English football. Arsene Wenger certainly won’t forget the day that the then 16-year-old, £80-a-week Everton apprentice ended Arsenal’s 30-game unbeaten league run with a thunderbolt of a strike that firmly put his name on the map.
Rooney’s knack for breaking records began that day back in 2002, as the Croxteth-born striker replaced Michael Owen as the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer. Although that record was soon to be lost, it seems unlikely that he will lose his new record any time soon, a thought echoed by the men that occupy both third and second on the list of all-time England goal-scorers, Gary Lineker and Sir Bobby Charlton.
Always considered a prospect at academy level, Rooney excelled throughout his youth career. In particular, his 99 goal haul at the tender age of 9 was something quite out of the ordinary for a player who had only recently come to realise he wasn’t a goalkeeper. His subsequent rise through Everton’s youth systems saw him turning out for the under-19s, whilst only 15 himself. The faith he was consistently shown as a youngster could perhaps, in part, have aided Everton in keeping Rooney on Merseyside, specifically when Sir Alex and his Manchester brigade came calling when Rooney was both 14 and 16 years of age.
Rooney’s determination to carve out a career, plying his trade at Goodison Park, soon began to falter. Eventually succumbing to the promise of success and glory at the soi-disant ‘Theatre of Dreams’, Rooney handed in a transfer request at the beginning of the 2004/05 season and subsequently moved to Manchester United for £25.6 million; a world-record fee for a teenager at the time. The switch was highly contentious amongst Everton fans, who were angered by their star’s decision to snub a new and improved contract. With 17 goals in 70 first-team games at still only 18 years old, the loss of a promising starlet was a bitter pill to swallow, not least considering that Rooney was ‘one of our own.’
Even amongst United’s stock, the transfer was highly contentious. At the time, the fee involved was extraordinarily high for someone so inexperienced. However, a dream debut followed the young scouser as he scored a hat-trick against Fenerbahce in the Champions League. He followed this up by performing consistently for the Red Devils, finishing the season at top goalscorer for United with 17 strikes and was credited with the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
As promised, success soon followed for Rooney as he won his first trophy in his second season, following United’s victory against Wigan Athletic in the League Cup. In total, his impressive trophy haul includes numerous Premier League titles, League Cups, Community Shields, a Club World Cup title and the 2007/08 Champions League title, where United were victorious over domestic rivals Chelsea.
Needless to say, Rooney has justified his price tag over the years, and endeared himself to the United faithful. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing though, as despite his exceptional performances on the pitch, he hasn’t been without his controversies. On two separate occasions Rooney has handed in a transfer request, in 2010 and 2013, citing a difference in ambition as his motivation on the occasion of the former. After both instances, he performed a U-turn and signed a new bumper contract, with United fending off serious interest from Chelsea during the latter instance. Rooney’s latest contract, signed in early 2014, took his wages to a mind-boggling £300,000 per week. Rooney was given the captains armband a few months later, signifying his importance to the club.
His international career has been just as eventful as that of his club career. Although eligible to represent Ireland, Rooney turned down an approach from them as a 16-year-old, describing himself “English through and through.”
He became England’s youngest player when he made his debut back in 2003, and since then has earned 107 caps to date, taking the captains armband after the 2014 World Cup, following Steven Gerrard’s retirement from international football.
An ever-present component for the England team, Rooney has faced extreme pressure when turning out for his national side, often expected to carry the team on his shoulders. His failure to have such an impact at an international tournament since his first entry at Euro 2004 may leave him short of being labelled one of England’s greatest.
That said, he’s not been short of a goal or two over the years in the white shirt. This is evident through his goalscoring record, one I’m sure he’ll pride himself with as the first and only English player to have reached 50 goals for his country, smashing Sir Bobby’s record that’s stood for 45 years.
With that, Rooney is certainly the finest English player of his generation, someone who truly can cut it with the elite. He has cemented his place in history and his record serves as a proud monument to his esteemed career. And who knows, with Euro 2016 just around the corner, maybe a victory in France could finally be the Three Lions’ skipper’s crowning moment.
