It’s tough to condense a factfile on England’s greatest ever goalscorer into a single word document. Here goes…
Wayne Rooney’s football career is glittering. Sublime, even.
Records broken and moments that will stand the test of time, dcfc.co.uk takes a closer look at the career of a footballing legend…
Teenage Dream
Wayne Rooney’s professional breakthrough was both breathtaking and special. To produce a moment in history which still stands the test of time now illustrates the magnitude of the man.
“Remember the name”, the famous line of commentary as a 16-year-old Rooney curled the ball beyond legendary goalkeeper David Seaman to write his name into the history books and announce his arrival on the scene.
Rooney’s goal broke the record for the youngest-ever player to score in the Premier League.
His stature quickly rose. 15 days after that famous moment, he scored the only goal of the game at Elland Road as Everton won 1-0.
It got better for the youngster. His form alerted England boss Sven-Göran Eriksson and he was handed his international debut in February 2003, at the age of 17.
His first season would end with him leading the line for Everton alongside the likes of Kevin Campbell and Duncan Ferguson. He made 42 appearances, scored eight goals in total and earned five international caps for his country.
An impressive feat for a man who had the world at his feet.
His second season was just as impressive. His explosive playing style scared defenders. His pace and power stood him apart from the rest and introduced a new culture of playing.
18 goals in total for the season, nine for Everton and nine for England helped them qualify for Euro 2004, a competition which propelled his status on the global stage.
He netted a brace against Switzerland and Croatia and the hopes of the nation rested with the youngster, however, injury in the quarter-final against Portugal cut short his competition as the Three Lions bowed out.
It was a sorry end to the tournament for Rooney, however, his best years were ahead of him…
Switching Allegiances
Rooney signed for Manchester United four hours before the end of the transfer window. Sir Alex Ferguson described him as “the best young player this country has seen in the past 30 years”. No pressure.
How would Rooney react to that? He scored a hat-trick on his debut, of course.
Three goals in a 6-2 win over Fenerbahce in the Champions League was a fine way to endear himself to the Old Trafford crowd.
Rooney quickly became a player for the big occasions. His scored against Arsenal to end their 49-game unbeaten run and netted the only goal of the game as United beat Liverpool at Old Trafford.
He hit a memorable strike against Newcastle United at Old Trafford, which is still replayed to this day, and titles started to roll in.
His first Premier League title came in the 2006/07 season as United went on to win three-in-a-row. Rooney was at the heart of that, netting 20 goals in all competitions in each season during that period.
One of the forward’s proudest moments would be lifting the Champions League in 2008 as they beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow.
Another title followed in the 2010/11 season, and during that campaign, we saw one of the best goals ever scored in the Premier League.
Against their nearest rivals Manchester City, Rooney produced a stunning overhead kick, leaving Joe Hart helpless, to win the game. The goal continues to be replayed to this day.
That season would end in Champions League heartache as they were beaten by Barcelona at Wembley, however, the forward did score in the 3-1 defeat.
Rooney’s career with Manchester United is best summed up with figures. In 537 games, he scored 253 goals. That works out as just over a goal every two games. That’s seriously impressive.
He surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record and remains the Red Devils’ all-time leading goalscorer.
Three Lions On A Shirt
Rooney’s introduction onto the international stage was as a 17-year-old at Upton Park. Australia were the visitors as England were beaten 3-1.
It wasn’t the result the Three Lions wanted, but it proved to be the birthplace of an English talent who went on to break records for his country.
His first goal for his country came in a Euro 2004 qualifier against Macedonia. He equalised in a 2-1 victory and the goals wouldn’t stop there.
He was formidable at Euro 2004, scoring four goals, before a metatarsal injury saw his, and England’s tournament end against Portugal.
There was a lot of expectation around the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The squad were widely regarded as one of England’s best-ever, however, preparations were rocked by the injury sustained by Rooney against Chelsea at the end of April.
It was a race against time as to if Rooney would recover. Fortunately for the Three Lions, he did.
He returned for England’s second game of the tournament against Trinidad and Tobago, however, the tournament would end in disappointment as they were again knocked out by Portugal.
Whilst England went through a transitional period, Rooney continued to flourish and score goals.
His best scoring record for his country came in 2014 as he scored eight goals during the year, including a World Cup strike against Uruguay.
Attention grew as Rooney edged ever-closer to Sir Bobby Charlton’s England goalscoring record.
He surpassed Gary Lineker’s goal tally of 48 for England in a 3-2 win over Slovenia in 2015, whilst three months later, he equalled the record of 49 in San Marino.
It was fitting that Rooney broke the record at Wembley Stadium, in front of the legendary England World Cup winner Charlton, in a 2-0 win over Switzerland.
Overall he ended with 120 caps and 53 goals for his country and was handed a farewell England appearance by manager Gareth Southgate in a 3-0 home win against the United States in November 2018.
An international career to be proud of.
Rooney’s Return
Wayne Rooney secured an emotional return to his boyhood club Everton in 2017, 13 years after leaving the club.
His return was met with cheers from the Goodison Park crowd as admiration for his career outweighed their bitterness from his exit.
He immediately hit the ground running. His first goal in his second spell for the club came in a 1-0 win against Stoke City, and days later, he scored in a 1-1 draw against Manchester City.
His most memorable moment certainly came in a 4-0 victory against West Ham United in November 2017.
Rooney hit a hat-trick and he rolled back the years as he smashed a sweet volley beyond Joe Hart from the halfway line - something that has become his trademark.
He scored in a Merseyside derby as Everton drew 1-1 with Liverpool at Anfield and he went on to make 40 appearances for the Toffees, scoring 11 goals.
His memorable return would only last the one season as he chose to choose a different direction for his career.
Foreign Movement
It was announced on 28th June 2018 that Rooney would join DC United. If anybody thought the forward was planning to wind down and see his career out, they would be mistaken.
Rooney has led a revolution at DC United. In half a season, Rooney scored 12 goals in 19 games and propelled them from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to the play-offs.
It goes to show the influence the former England captain has had on his teammates.
This season, that influence hasn’t stopped. He has 11 goals in 21 games, and has contributed six assists.
He is a born leader, a born winner and someone who still has plenty to offer to the beautiful game.