Wayne Rooney

Wayne Mark Rooney was born on 24 October 1985 in Liverpool, England, and grew up in the city as a supporter of Everton, the club whose academy he came through. He made his first-team debut as a teenager and announced himself to a wider public with a celebrated late goal against Arsenal in 2002 that ended a long unbeaten run, marking him out as one of the most promising young players in the English game.

In 2004 he joined Manchester United, where he would spend the central and most successful years of his career. Over more than a decade at the club he won multiple Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2008, and he became Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer, a record that placed him among the most important players in the club's modern history.

With the England national team he was for many years a central figure and, in time, the country's all-time leading scorer, captaining the side and playing in multiple major tournaments. A versatile and combative forward, he was capable of operating across the attack and dropping into midfield, combining power, work rate, and finishing.

In the later stages of his playing career he returned to Everton and then played in the United States with DC United, before retiring as a player. His career coincided with an era of intense competition in English and European football, and he was a leading English forward throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s.

After retiring he moved into management, taking charge of clubs including Derby County, DC United, Birmingham City, and Plymouth Argyle, working largely outside the very top tier and gaining experience in the demanding environment of club management.

Rooney is remembered as one of the outstanding English forwards of his generation, a player whose goalscoring records for both Manchester United and England framed a career spent at the centre of the English game during a period of high achievement for his principal club.