Wayne Rooney

Wayne Mark Rooney was born on October 24, 1985, in Liverpool, England, and grew up in the Croxteth area of the city.[1] He attended Catholic schools in Liverpool and was raised in the Catholic faith.[7]

Rooney made his professional debut for his local club, Everton, at age 16.[1] During his first season he became the youngest goal scorer in Premier League history, a record that was subsequently surpassed.[1] His most celebrated early moment arrived on October 19, 2002, when he scored a stoppage-time winner against defending champions Arsenal at Goodison Park, ending Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten run.[2] The commentator's exclamation, "Remember the name — Wayne Rooney," became closely associated with his breakthrough.[2]

After two seasons at Goodison Park, Rooney transferred to Manchester United in 2004.[1] His autobiography, Wayne Rooney: My Story So Far, was published in 2006 and ghostwritten by journalist Hunter Davies.[1] Its catalog description covers his early years in Croxteth, his Premiership debut at 16, his arrival on the international stage at Euro 2004, and the 2006 World Cup.[8] The book was published in London by HarperSport and later released in a 2008 New York edition by HarperCollins.[8][9]

Rooney was named England's Young Player of the Year in each of his first two seasons at Manchester United.[1] During his early years at the club, he helped United win the League Cup and the 2006–07 Premier League title.[1][3] In 2007–08 he contributed to Premier League and UEFA Champions League triumphs. United subsequently won its first FIFA Club World Cup championship, with Rooney scoring the only goal in the 1–0 final victory.[1]

Manchester United claimed a third consecutive league title in 2008–09.[1] Rooney's finest individual campaign came in 2009–10, when he was named both the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.[1] He scored 34 goals in all competitions that season.[10] He was also part of United's title-winning squads in 2010–11 and 2012–13. During 2011–12 he set a personal best of 27 Premier League goals and again reached 34 in all competitions.[1][10]

Rooney scored at least 14 goals in each of 12 consecutive seasons from 2004 through 2016, averaging more than 20 per season during that span.[10] He operated centrally, on the wing, behind the striker, and in deeper midfield roles. He also became the third player in Premier League history at the time to surpass 100 assists.[10]

In 2016 Rooney won the first FA Cup of his career.[1][3] In January 2017 he scored his 250th Manchester United goal, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton to become the club's all-time leading scorer.[1] He departed six months later with 253 goals in 559 appearances and 146 assists, the latter tally second only to Ryan Giggs for the club at the time of the cited report.[3] Across 13 years at Old Trafford, Rooney won five English league titles, the FA Cup, three League Cups, four Community Shields, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, and the FIFA Club World Cup.[3]

After leaving Manchester United in 2017, Rooney rejoined his boyhood club Everton for one season.[1] He then signed with D.C. United of Major League Soccer under the league's Designated Player Rule. The rule allowed clubs to sign internationally prominent players and, together with television contracts, contributed to increased league visibility and profitability.[11]

In 2020 Rooney returned to English football as a player-coach for Derby County in the Football Championship.[1] He retired from competitive play the following year and became Derby's full manager.[1] A 2010 report from a soccer training facility in Soweto, South Africa, recorded that a Rooney jersey was displayed alongside one belonging to U.S. midfielder Clint Dempsey and posters of local South African players.[12]

Rooney joined the English national team in 2003 and, at 17 years and 111 days old, temporarily became England's youngest player. He also became the country's youngest international goal scorer at the time.[13] His international breakthrough came at Euro 2004, where he scored four goals in four matches, including one against Switzerland and two against Croatia, as England reached the quarterfinals.[13]

A foot injury during the build-up to the 2006 World Cup limited his effectiveness in Germany, and he did not score at the tournament.[1] England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.[1] Rooney led the team in scoring during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, where England fell in the round of 16.[1] At Euro 2012 he was suspended for England's first two matches after receiving a red card in the final qualifying fixture. He returned for the final group match before England's quarterfinal elimination.[1][13]

At the 2014 World Cup, Rooney scored his only career goal in a World Cup finals tournament, during England's 2–1 defeat by Uruguay.[13] England was eliminated after two matches, its earliest World Cup exit at the time.[1] In August 2014 Rooney was named captain, succeeding Steven Gerrard after his international retirement.[13]

On September 8, 2015, Rooney scored his 50th England goal from the penalty spot against Switzerland in European Championship qualifying, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 49.[13] He represented England at Euro 2016 and announced his international retirement in August 2017, after 53 goals in 119 appearances, following an approach from manager Gareth Southgate.[13] Rooney returned for a farewell match against the United States in November 2018, bringing his final total to 120 appearances.[5] His 53-goal record stood until Harry Kane scored his 54th England goal on March 23, 2023.[4]

Rooney's transition into management began at Derby County, where he served as a player and coach from 2020 before retiring from playing and becoming the club's full manager.[1] He left Derby in 2022 to manage D.C. United, the Major League Soccer club for which he had previously played.[1]

In October 2023 Rooney was appointed manager of Birmingham City on a three-and-a-half-year contract.[14] He was dismissed in early 2024 and became manager of Plymouth Argyle in May. Rooney and Plymouth parted by mutual consent on December 31, 2024, with the club at the bottom of the Championship after a nine-match winless run.[6]

Rooney has made two reported visits to the former Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camps in Poland, first during Euro 2012 and later with his family in 2026.[15][7]

The first visit took place during the Euro 2012 tournament, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.[15] The Football Association organised the visit for interested players; Rooney later said that four or five players attended.[16] The group spent around 90 minutes hearing about the scale of the atrocities committed there.[15] Rooney and fellow striker Andy Carroll were present when former Israeli international manager Avram Grant spoke beneath a photograph of an SS doctor at the selection point.[15] The players also heard testimony from Holocaust survivor Zigi Shipper.[16] Rooney described seeing children's clothes and shoes, said visitors had to witness the history firsthand, and stated that the experience put football into perspective.[15]

The second visit took place in 2026, when Rooney, his wife Coleen, and two of their sons travelled to Auschwitz as part of the reality documentary series The Real Rooneys, broadcast by DisneyX and available on Disney+ from September 24, 2026.[16] The visit was prompted by their ten-year-old son Kit, who was studying the Second World War at school.[16][7] The family was shown examining cattle cars used by the Nazis to transport victims to their deaths.[16] Rooney said that supporting his son's decision to visit was important and that he valued learning about both the positive and darkest chapters of history.[16]

A September 2026 report stated that Rooney had recently learned that his maternal grandmother's family was of Jewish-Polish origin.[7] The discovery occurred while his family was preparing for the Auschwitz visit. Rooney, who grew up Catholic and attended Catholic schools in Liverpool, was quoted as saying, "I'm Catholic, but I always asked questions like: 'Why aren't we Jewish?'"[7] The report presented the family history as a recent personal discovery rather than as genealogy established through independently published records.

Rooney's place in English football history is anchored by his 253 goals for Manchester United, which remain the club record, and the 53 goals with which he held England's scoring record until 2023.[3][4] His final international record was 53 goals in 120 appearances.[5]

His longevity was demonstrated by scoring at least 14 goals across 12 consecutive seasons and averaging more than 20 per season over that span.[10] His ability to play as a centre-forward, wide attacker, support striker, or deeper midfielder also made versatility a defining feature of his Manchester United career.[10]

Rooney's move to D.C. United placed him among the internationally prominent players signed through Major League Soccer's Designated Player Rule.[11] His profile was also reflected in the display of his jersey at a South African training facility alongside memorabilia associated with Clint Dempsey and local players.[12] The catalog description for his autobiography, published when he was 20, characterized him as already one of the world's leading footballers.[8]