“Remember the name: Wayne Rooney” were the immortalised words of Clive Tyldesley about 16-year-old legend-to-be Wayne Rooney who scored one of the greatest Goodison Park goals ever seen.
Wayne Rooney was one of those players so young it had people even slightly above his age questioning their existence – ‘he is scoring screamers against a legendary Arsenal side, what am I doing?’
Indeed, it is rare that you get players stepping into the game of his quality nowadays; youthful unpredictability a far greater risk than fielding established talent in the increasingly money-driven world of modern Premier League football.
Which is what made Wayne Rooney so utterly special. A 16-year-old bursting onto the scene in such emphatic style, with enough confidence and arrogance to consider himself the best player at the club, even at such a young age.
“At the time, at 16, I remember looking around the Everton first team and knowing I was the best player. I felt that,” he told fellow footballing great Alan Shearer (as per the official Premier League website).
And he was Really, if not a little rough around the edges.
It is not often that one of the greatest managers in modern football declares his admiration for a player, but that is exactly what Arsene Wenger did following the rocket that ended his sides 30-game unbeaten run.
“Rooney is the biggest England talent I’ve seen since I arrived in England,” the Frenchman said at the time (BBC Sport).
“There has certainly not been a player under 20 as good as him since I became a manager here…
You do not need to be an expert to see that he is a special talent, very special.”
Indeed, he possessed the industrious and desire of a young man desperate to make his name; an insatiable diet for all things football – like an excitable dog who has been thrown a stick for the first time, he chased and chased with such admirable persistent.
It was only a matter of time before the top four came knocking, and Wayne Rooney made his big move in 2004 to Manchester United where he remained to make history scoring 253 goals.
