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At the age of 35, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has ended an illustrious football career.
For a long time, he was the face of not only the most successful English team in recent times, but also the Premier League itself. In his prime, Rooney was undoubtedly the absolute best forward on the planet, as well as the undisputed king of the Barclays Premier League, as it was known then.
The former England captain ends his career as the top scorer for his country and for United, the club with which he spent the most time. In the Premier League itself, his remarkable 208 goal tally is second only to Alan Shearer.
“Wazza,” as he is affectionately known by his teammates, burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old wunderkind at the Everton childhood club, whom he grew up supporting.
Despite being a teenager, his mature build, strength and undoubted talent soon saw him join Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, who bought the striker for an astronomical fee north of £ 25 million in 2004.
Almost two decades later, that sum seems like a steal, as Rooney (along with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, before his days at Real) helped end Arsenal’s Invincibles era, winning five league titles in seven years.
In that time, Rooney would win accolade after accolade, including the 2007/08 Champions League, but strangely never a Golden Boot, which speaks volumes for his team-first mentality. However, when he was named captain of the club in 2014, he was already in decline, as persistent injuries and a sharp drop in pace left him stripped of his previous strengths.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MaJ09WMl7M
To counter this, a key figure in a rebuilding United team was played deeper and deeper. Rooney would eventually leave the Red Devils in 2017 as their best striker of the Premier League era, for a final PL stint at Everton.
In recent years, Rooney has ended his MLS career with DC United, and later as a player / manager and player / manager in Derby County in the Championship. Now, with his recent appointment as permanent manager at Pride Park, the Croxteth native has formally announced the end of a brilliant career.
He follows many of his former England teammates, such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and John Terry in management, ensuring that his presence in national football will continue for years to come.
A prodigiously talented young man, who became the all-time top scorer for the club and the country, that’s what fans will remember from Wayne Rooney’s incredible career.
Despite what it may have been, the trophies, awards and statistics that Rooney amassed speak for themselves; leaves an indelible legacy as one of the greats of English football.
