Wayne Rooney: The King of Manchester

With the Didier Drogba post earlier this week, many fans were unhappy at the Chelsea star being proclaimed as the best striker in the world. So in response to those fans; here is Real Talk Football’s tribute to the King of Manchester Wayne Rooney.

Born in Liverpool, the youngster joined the Everton youth team at the age of 10 and made his way through the youth ranks until bursting onto the scene in 2002 scoring a wonder strike against then champions Arsenal, in a game that saw break the record for the youngest player ever to score in the Premier League (later surpassed by James Milner then by Everton’s James Vaughan). During his impressive cameo appearances, Rooney rarely gave interviews citing his aim to stay out of the media spotlight.

He then continued to be impressive for Everton, earning him an International call up that saw him become England’s youngest ever player (surpassed by Arsenal’s Theo Walcott) and England’s youngest ever goal scorer, as well as lighting up the Euro 2004 Championships.



After two seasons with his boyhood club Everton, making 67 appearances and scoring 15 goals, at the age of 18, Rooney turned down a three year contract offer from the Toffee’s as well as a transfer to Newcastle United by opting to sign with Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United. The fee was a modest £25.6million, making it the highest transfer fee ever paid for a player under the age of 20. He scored at Hat trick on his debut in the Champions League match against Turkish side Fenerbahce in September 2004. He finished his first season with the PFA Young Player of the Year award.


In his second season he won the 2006 League cup, scoring 2 goals in a 4-0 win over Wigan, in which Rooney was named man of the match. He and Manchester United finished runners-up in the league, scoring 19 goals in 48 appearances.

In the 2006/07 season, was Rooney’s best so far, netting 23 times in 50 appearances helping Manchester United win the Premier League title, his first, and help United to the Champions League Semi-Final.


Season 2007/08 was a injury impacted season for the youngster, whose progression into a real star player, saw him switch to the Number 10 shirt from number 8. He broke his metatarsal in his right foot, same as which saw him drop out of the Euro 2004 Quarter-Final match against Portugal. However this did not deter the player who went on to win the Premiership and Champions League to complete an emphatic double, scoring 18 goals in 42 appearances.


In the 08/09 season, Rooney started by helping the Red Devils win the FIFA World Club Cup and went on to take his tally to 20 goals in 49 appearances, continuing his excellent form and helping Manchester United retain the Premiership title.

With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2009/10 season was expected to be difficult for Manchester United however Wayne Rooney has performed superbly so far this season. Highlights include scoring all 4 goals in the 4-0 win over Hull, scoring winners against Arsenal, as well as scoring a vital last minute winner against bitter rivals Man City in the Carling Cup semi-final, taking United to Wembley. At the age of 24, Rooney has scored 23 times in 31 appearances so far this season and receiving plaudits from Managers all over Europe.



Rooney, a fan favourite, blessed with power and strength, along with excellent shooting ability and a great team work ethic, the Manchester United star is a future captain at Old Trafford and will definitely collect many honours for years to come. Expect the England star to maintain his title as the King of Manchester, and progress to take the title as the King of Europe, maybe even King of the World.

This is Real Talk Football’s Tribute to Wayne Rooney