Wayne Rooney

Everton

Youth squads

Rooney began playing for Liverpool Schoolboys and scored 72 goals in one season, a record which stood until May 2010.[21] At age nine, Rooney played for Copplehouse boys' club in the local Walton and Kirkdale junior league and scored 99 goals in his final season before being spotted by Everton scout Bob Pendleton.[22] Rooney joined Everton at age nine,[23] and was the Everton mascot for the Merseyside derby against Liverpool as an 11-year-old.[24] In the 1995-96 season, he scored 114 goals in 29 games for Everton's under-10s and 11s,[25] and by the age of 15, he was playing for the under-19s.[26] He scored eight goals in eight games during Everton's run to the FA Youth Cup final in 2002.[27] This included one goal in the final defeat against Aston Villa and, upon scoring, he revealed a T-shirt that read, "Once a Blue, always a Blue."[23] Rooney was included in Everton's first team squad for their training camp in Austria in the summer of 2002 and scored his first senior goal in a 3-1 friendly victory over SC Weiz on 15 July.[26]

First team breakthrough

"Rooney is the biggest England talent I've seen since I arrived in England. There has certainly not been a player under 20 as good as him since I became a manager here."

Arsène Wenger on Rooney following his last-minute goal against Arsenal in October 2002.[28]

Rooney was an unused substitute in Everton's 1-0 away win over Southampton in April 2002.[29] He made his senior debut on 17 August in a 2-2 home draw against Tottenham Hotspur,[30] becoming the second youngest first-team player in Everton history behind Joe Royle.[31] In that match he was booed by the Spurs fans who shouted "Who are ya?" whenever he touched the ball.[32] His first senior goals came on 2 October when he scored twice in a 3-0 away win over Wrexham in the League Cup.[33] These goals meant that Rooney was Everton's youngest-ever goalscorer at the time.[34]

On 19 October, five days before his 17th birthday, Rooney scored a last-minute winning goal against Arsenal.[35] The goal ended Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten run,[36] and also made Rooney the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, a record that has since been surpassed twice, by James Milner and James Vaughan.[37] He scored the only goal in a 1-0 away win over Leeds United fifteen days later.[38]

In December, Rooney was named 2002's BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.[39] Six days after claiming the award he scored the winning goal against Blackburn Rovers in a 2-1 home win.[40] His first career red card came on Boxing Day in a 1-1 away draw against Birmingham City for a late challenge on Steve Vickers.[41] In January 2003, Rooney signed his first professional contract, which made him one of world football's highest-paid teenagers.[42] Rooney's first goal of 2003 came on 23 March, netting Everton's only goal in a 2-1 loss at Arsenal.[43] In April, he scored a goal in Everton's 2-1 home win over Newcastle United,[44] before hitting a last-minute winner against Aston Villa in another 2-1 home win.[45] He ended his debut season with 8 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees.[46]

Rooney scored his first goal of the 2003-04 season in a 2-2 away draw against Charlton Athletic on 26 August 2003.[47] He did not find the net again until December when he scored in a 2-1 away win over Portsmouth,[48] and a 3-2 home win over Leicester City.[49] His final goal of 2003 came on his 50th league appearance, netting the only goal in a 1-0 home win over Birmingham City on 28 December.[50] On 21 February 2004, Rooney scored two goals in a Premier League game for the first time in a 3-3 away draw against Southampton.[51] He scored the sole goal in a 1-0 win over Portsmouth on 13 March,[52] before scoring in a 1-1 away draw against Leicester City one week later.[53] He scored his final goal of the season in a 1-1 away draw against Leeds United on 13 April.[54]