Rooney starts eighth United season on top

Manchester United stalwart Wayne Rooney ended last season with another Premier League winner’s medal. He also claimed the best-goal-of-the-season award for his gem against Manchester City at Old Trafford.

Last year, Rooney shocked the United fans by handing in a transfer request but manager Alex Ferguson eventually convinced him to stay at Old Trafford and sign a new contract.

Rooney has already won a trophy this season as United beat rivals City 3-2 at Wembley to lift the Community Shield.

Born in Croxtheth, Liverpool on October 24, 1985, Rooney started his career with Everton and made his debut for the Toffees in the Premiership at the age of 16.

A passionate Everton fan, Rooney joined the Blues Academy and his natural talent was evident from the start. Rooney was promoted to the U-19 squad when he was only 15.

His Premier League debut for Everton came against Tottenham Hotspur on August 17, 2002, and two months later, Rooney announced himself to the world by scoring his first senior goal against Arsenal.

On October 19, 2002, Rooney became the youngest scorer in the history of the Premier League when, at 16 years and 360 days, he scored for Everton in their 2-1 win over Arsenal at Goodison Park. His last-minute goal brought an end to the North London side’s 30-match unbeaten run.

At the end of 2002, he won the BBC Sports Young Personality of the Year award.

Rooney suffered a broken metatarsal for England during Euro 2004 but that didn’t stop him from joining Manchester United on August 31, 2004 in a £27 million deal. He put pen to paper on a six-year contract.

Rooney enjoyed a dream start for United on September 28, 2004 as he netted a hat-trick on his debut in a 6-2 Champions League win against Fenerbahce.

The England forward has won the following honours since his move to Old Trafford:

Premier League title − 4 (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11).

Champions League – 1 (2007-08).

FIFA Club World Cup – 1 (2008).

League Cup – 2 (2005-06, 2009-10).

FA Community Shield – 3 (2007, 2010, 2011).

Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year – 1 (2009–10).

PFA Players’ Player of the Year – 1 (2009–10).

PFA Young Player of the Year – 2 (2004–05, 2005–06).

PFA Fans’ Player of the Year – 2 (2005–06, 2009–10).

PFA Premier League Team of the Year – 2 (2005–06, 2009–10).

Goal of the Season – 3 (2004–05, 2006–07, 2010–11).

BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year – 1 (2002).

Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament.

FIFPro World Young Player of the Year – 1 (2004–05).

Premier League Player of the Month – 5 (February 2005, December 2005, March 2006, October 2007, January 2010).

Barclays Player of the Season – 1 (2009–10).

FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball – 1 (2008).

England Player of the Year – 2 (2008, 2009).

England career

Although Rooney has been under intense media spotlight since first arriving on the scene in 2002, he became a hit with his performances for England at Euro 2004, scoring four goals.

Unfortunately, Rooney’s parti-cipation in that tournament was ended prematurely after he suffered a broken metatarsal against Portugal, thus denting England’s hopes of winning the title.

Rooney finished Euro 2004 as joint top-scorer. He suffered a second metatarsal injury in April 2006 and the England forward’s participation in the World Cup in Germany was thrown in doubt. However, a positive scan earned him a place in the squad.

Rooney was declared fit to play against Trinidad and Tobago and Sweden but his experience in Germany ended on a bad note as he was sent off in a quarter-final defeat to Portugal.

The 2010 World Cup was another disappointment for Rooney. England were thrashed by Germany in the second round and Rooney failed to reproduce the form he showed for United for much of the previous season.

This term, Rooney has been inspirational for club and country. He has been in free-scoring form, hitting back-to-back hat-tricks for United in the Premier League against Arsenal and Bolton.