On 24 October, Wayne Rooney turns 41. For a whole generation of fans he was the kid who played as if he were still on the streets of his neighbourhood. Fearless, stubborn, and with a shot nobody saw coming. To mark his birthday, we look back on his career through the shirts he wore.

Everton: “Remember the name”

Rooney was born in 1985 in Croxteth, Liverpool, and grew up at Everton. He made his Premier League debut on 17 August 2002, in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham, and even provided an assist.

Two months later came the moment that made his name. On 19 October 2002, five days before his 17th birthday, he curled in a last-minute shot from 30 metres. The ball struck the underside of the crossbar and beat David Seaman. Everton beat Arsenal 2-1 and ended their unbeaten run at 30 games. Rooney became, at the time, the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history. On commentary, Clive Tyldesley delivered the famous line “Remember the name”.

Manchester United: a debut hat-trick

In late August 2004 he moved to Manchester United. It was the most expensive transfer ever for a player under 20. On 28 September 2004, in his first game in red, United beat Fenerbahçe 6-2 in the Champions League. The 18-year-old Rooney scored a hat-trick and added an assist. His third goal was a free kick. At the time he wore the number 8.

The number 10, the overhead kick and the record

From the summer of 2007 he took the number 10. On 12 February 2011, in the derby against Manchester City, he made it 2-1 in the 78th minute with an overhead kick. The goal was named the BBC's goal of the season. Fans later voted it the best goal of the Premier League's first 20 years.

On 21 January 2017, in stoppage time of a 1-1 draw with Stoke, he scored his 250th goal. That took him past Bobby Charlton as the club's all-time top scorer. He left with 253 goals, five league titles, a Champions League (2008), an FA Cup and a Europa League.

The England shirt

He made his international debut on 12 February 2003 against Australia, aged 17 years and 111 days. He was the youngest player ever to represent England. On 8 September 2015 he scored his 50th goal from the penalty spot in a 2-0 win over Switzerland at Wembley, breaking a Charlton record that had stood for 45 years. He finished his England career with 120 caps and 53 goals. He was England's all-time top scorer until 2023 and is now second.

Back home and an American adventure

In July 2017 he returned to Everton wearing the number 10. In August he reached 200 Premier League goals. In November he scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over West Ham, including one goal from more than 60 metres.

In 2018 he joined D.C. United with the number 9. He became captain, and in his first season he was the team's most valuable player and top scorer with 12 goals. In January 2020 he joined Derby County as a player and member of the coaching staff, and wore the captain's armband on his debut. He stopped playing in January 2021, when he took over the team permanently as manager.

From the dugout to the microphone

He stayed in charge of Derby until June 2022. He then managed D.C. United, Birmingham, where he lasted just 83 days, and Plymouth, which he left by mutual consent at the end of 2024. Since the 2025/26 season he has presented “The Wayne Rooney Show” on the BBC, where he discusses the week's football talking points.

For collectors

For anyone who loves retro shirts, Rooney's career offers plenty of choice. The Everton shirt from the 2002/03 season recalls the goal against Arsenal. A 2004/05 United shirt with the number 8 recalls the debut against Fenerbahçe. The 2010/11 shirt with the number 10 recalls the overhead kick in the derby. And the England number 10 shirt is tied to the record of 53 goals. Each one carries a story that fans still remember.

Happy birthday, Wayne!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Wayne Rooney playing for Manchester United against Zorya Luhansk, 8 December 2016 – Stanislav Vedmid, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.