Aged 10,
Rooney joined the youth team of Everton, making his professional debut in 2002. He spent two seasons at the Merseyside club, before moving to
Manchester United for £25.6 million in the 2004 summer transfer window. Since then, he has won the Premier League three times, the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League and also two League Cups.
Rooney began playing for Liverpool Schoolboys and at the age of 10 was signed on schoolboy terms by Everton F.C. After scoring in an FA Youth Cup match, he revealed a T-shirt under his jersey that read, "Once a Blue, always a Blue." Since he was under 17 at the time and therefore ineligible for a professional contract, he was playing for £80 a week and living with his family on one of the country's most deprived council estates.
At the end of the 2003–04 season, citing Everton's inability to challenge for European competition (they had finished seventh the previous season and only just missed out on a UEFA Cup place, but in 2003–04, finishing in 17th place, had narrowly avoided relegation),
Rooney requested a transfer that Everton refused to oblige unless the transfer fee was in excess of £50 million. A three-year, £12,000-a-week contract offer from the club was snubbed by Rooney's agent in August 2004, leaving
Manchester United and Newcastle United to compete for his signature. The Times reported that Newcastle were close to signing
Rooney for £18.5 million, as confirmed by Rooney's agent, but
Manchester United ultimately won the bidding war and Rooney signed at the end of the month after a £25.6 million deal with Everton was reached. It was the highest fee ever paid for a player aged under 20,
Rooney was still only 18 years old when he left Everton.
Rooney made his United debut on 28 September 2004 in a 6–2 Champions League group stage win over Fenerbahçe, scoring a hat-trick along with an assist. However, his first season at Old Trafford ended trophyless as United could only manage a third place finish in the league (having been champions or runners-up on all but two previous occasions since 1992) and failed to progress to the last eight of the UEFA Champions League. United had more success in the cup competitions, but were edged out of the League Cup in the semi finals by a Chelsea side who also won the Premier League title that season, and a goalless draw with Arsenal in the FA Cup final was followed by a penalty shoot-out defeat. However,
Rooney was United's top league scorer that season with 11 goals, and was credited with the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Rooney collected his first Premier League title winner's medal at the end of the 2006–07 season, but has yet to pick up an FA Cup winner's medal; he had to settle for a runners-up medal in the 2007 FA Cup Final.
In international career
Rooney became the youngest player to play for
England when he earned his first cap in a friendly against Australia on 12 February 2003 at seventeen, the same age in which he also became the youngest player to score an England goal. Arsenal youngster Theo Walcott broke Rooney's appearance record by 36 days in June 2006. His first tournament action was at Euro 2004, in which he became the youngest scorer in competition history on 17 June 2004, when he scored twice against Switzerland; however, this record was topped by Swiss midfielder Johan Vonlanthen four days later.
Rooney suffered an injury in the quarterfinal match against Portugal and England were eliminated on penalties. During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, after England drew with Algeria, the England players were booed off the pitch by supporters.
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