Wayne Rooney

Once heralded as the greatest player of his generation, Wayne Rooney overcame controversy, injury, and much more to become the all-time goalscorer for Manchester United. Coming through at boyhood team Everton, Rooney played regularly in the Premier League at an extremely high level, though it could be argued that starting such regular playing time at 16 contributed to an early, load-based physical decline that inhibited the latter half of Rooney’s career.

With 120 caps for England and 53 goals, though, Rooney was a key performer for his national side outside of tournaments, and played an increasingly important role in helping his nation regularly compete at international events, becoming the all-time national team scorer, and the record holder for outfield caps.

What made Wayne Rooney so special?

His physical power mixed with a dead-eye shooting accuracy both close in and from distance made Rooney a unique proposition. As a youngster, he was a gun-slinging forward who could score with regularly and easily drop into midfield to control games with his incredible passing range and vision.

Despite regular issues with weight and fitness during his career, Rooney worked extremely hard and was commonly involved in pressing moves that would lead to goals for his club and national side. His never-say-die attitude mixed with a knife-between-the-teeth approach to the game made Rooney an outstanding player to watch.

Though his physical issues eventually did lead to a drop-off, even late-stage Rooney was capable of moments of pure genius, scoring goals with aplomb and regularly being decisive in key moments.

What does Wayne Rooney do now?

Today, Rooney is currently the manager of Derby County, helping to keep the Midlands club in the English Championship, the second-tier, on the final day of the 2020-21 season. Rooney is expected to be involved in management and coaching for years to come.