Wayne Rooney Age, Height, Wife & Biography

Wayne Rooney is 41 years old and was born on October 24, 1985, in Croxteth, Liverpool, England. The former Manchester United and England forward stands 5 ft 9 in (1.76 m) tall and is married to Coleen Rooney. Rooney is Manchester United’s all-time top scorer with 253 goals, won five Premier League titles with the club, and earned 120 caps for England. On November 10, 2026, ITV confirmed Rooney as one of the 11 campmates for I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! series 26, which starts on November 16, 2026, on ITV1.

Quick Facts

Who Is Wayne Rooney?

Wayne Mark Rooney is an English former professional footballer and manager, widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premier League history. He spent most of his playing career as a forward, but he was also used in midfield roles, and he remains the only player to have recorded both 200 goals and 100 assists in the Premier League.

Rooney won 16 trophies with Manchester United, including five Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League in 2008, the FA Cup in 2016, and the UEFA Europa League in 2017. He was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022. For England, he scored 53 goals in 120 appearances and held the national team’s scoring record from 2015 until Harry Kane passed him in 2023.

Early Life & Background

Rooney was born on October 24, 1985, in Croxteth, Liverpool, the son of Jeanette Marie and Thomas Wayne Rooney. He is of Irish descent through his father and grew up with two younger brothers, Graham and John. He attended Our Lady and St Swithin’s Primary School and De La Salle School in Liverpool, and he grew up supporting Everton.

Rooney joined Everton at the age of nine and scored prolifically in the club’s youth teams, including 114 goals in 29 games for the under-10s and under-11s in the 1995-96 season. He played for Liverpool Schoolboys, scoring 72 goals in one season, and was an Everton mascot for a Merseyside derby at the age of 11. In 2026, the documentary series The Real Rooneys revealed that he had recently discovered Polish-Jewish ancestry through his maternal grandmother.

Career

Rooney made his senior debut for Everton on August 17, 2002, at 16, and on October 19, 2002, five days before his 17th birthday, he scored a last-minute winner against Arsenal, becoming the youngest scorer in Premier League history at the time. In August 2004, he joined Manchester United for 25.6 million pounds, then the highest fee ever paid for a player under 20. He scored a hat-trick on his debut against Fenerbahce in the Champions League.

At United, Rooney won three consecutive Premier League titles from 2006-07 to 2008-09 and added further titles in 2010-11 and 2012-13. He scored the winning goal in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup final and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2009-10. His overhead bicycle kick against Manchester City in February 2011 won the Premier League 20 Seasons Best Goal award. On January 21, 2017, he passed Bobby Charlton to become Manchester United’s all-time top scorer, finishing with 253 goals.

Rooney returned to Everton in 2017, then played for D.C. United in Major League Soccer and Derby County, retiring from playing in January 2021. He made his England debut in February 2003 at 17 and played at Euro 2004, where he scored four goals, and at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cups. As a manager, he led Derby County, D.C. United, Birmingham City, and Plymouth Argyle, leaving Plymouth in December 2024. He has since worked as a pundit and appeared in documentaries about his life and career.

Facts About Wayne Rooney

• He scored a hat-trick on his Manchester United debut against Fenerbahce in September 2004.
• His bicycle kick against Manchester City in February 2011 was voted the Premier League 20 Seasons Best Goal.
• He is the only player to record both 200 goals and 100 assists in the Premier League.
• He was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022.
• He appeared on seven consecutive UK covers of the FIFA video game series, from FIFA 06 to FIFA 12.

Frequently Asked Questions

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