From the moment he step foot in the Premier League, Wayne Rooney showed everyone that he belonged with the big boys right away.
In his prime, he had quite a robust physique and the veteran smarts that made him such a dynamic player and he also had that boyish smile that captured the hearts of football fans all over the world.
The general feeling is that Wayne Rooney can do everything. That even in his current age, he can still somehow boost the Premier League 2021 odds of certain teams that might need his services.
Now that he’s winding down his career with his recent retirement announcement as per Premier League 2021 news, he’ll take over as Derby County’s full-time manager after doing so in an interim basis.
Wayne Rooney will no doubt go down as one of the greatest players ever. However, sometimes I can’t help but wonder on whether he did reach his full potential or not.
Wayne Rooney came in with a bang
While Wayne Rooney was more known for his time playing for Manchester United, he made himself known first playing for Everton.
The Croxteth-born forward produced his first magical moment in the Premier League when he scored a thumping last-minute goal against Arsenal.
From there, he would establish himself as a regular with Everton where team manager David Moyes used him primarily as a second striker behind Kevin Campbell.
Along with his success in club football, Rooney emerged as a dominant force for the England national team. He and Michael Owen formed a lethal striking duo and that was in full display during their run in the 2004 UEFA Euro competition.
He achieved all of these when he was only 18 years old.
It was clear that the football world was his oyster. And after experiencing that level of success at such a young age, various clubs were all lining up for his services.
Wayne Rooney the Manchester United legend
Months after his successful year with the Toffees, Rooney signed a £25.6-M deal with Manchester United, making him one of the most expensive teenager signings ever.
At the time, pundits were skeptical about this move engineered by Sir Alex Ferguson. However, his oozing talent and upside were simply too good to pass up.
He initially played behind Ruud van Nistelrooy as the secondary striker. But when his Dutch partner left town in 2006, things began to change.
Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to build a faster and a more fluid attack, so he paired Rooney with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
Again, Rooney wasn’t the alpha dog at the time since Tevez and Ronaldo were the main stars out front. However, he was very effective as a secondary striker and as an occasional winger that can defend multiple positions.
It wasn’t until Ronaldo and Tevez left that Rooney finally became the main man at Old Trafford. With him taking the reins as their main threat, Rooney blossomed as a superstar and the trophies came in as well.
One of his most memorable moments playing for the Red Devils was when he scored the game-winning goal in a crucial derby win over City.
They were fresh from an upset loss against the Wolves and they needed a victory in order to help secure the Premier League title that season.
Old Trafford fans can recall that moment like it only happened yesterday as Nani delivered a curling cross into the penalty area, and then Rooney came out of nowhere and scored the game-winning goal via a bicycle kick.
Eventually as he approached his late 20’s, Rooney’s athletic abilities have declined.
The accumulation of his injuries didn’t help and he would bounce around playing for Everton, DC United, and Derby County in the Championship.
Wayne Rooney opens a new chapter in his illustrious career
Wayne Rooney has done it all in his playing career and he has a lot to show for it with his vast amount of trophies (16).
He also boasts the record for the second-most Premier League goals behind Alan Shearer, making him one of the best ever in English football.
Now that he will move on to another phase of his life, all I can say is that Derby County are lucky to have a good one in Wayne Rooney.
He will be forever remembered as a bonafide winner and a consummate professional.
Moreover, Wayne Rooney has produced genuine moments of greatness that will linger in the memories of fans – including this SBOTOP writer.
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