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Wayne Rooney Biography: From Croxteth to Manchester United Legend

Daniel Reed
Wayne Rooney headshot

Wayne Rooney Biography: From Croxteth to Manchester United Legend

Wayne Rooney biography: Wayne Mark Rooney is an English former professional footballer and manager, widely regarded as one of the greatest British players of all time. Born on 24 October 1985 in Croxteth, Liverpool, he became Manchester United’s all-time top scorer with 253 goals and England’s record scorer with 53 goals in 120 caps. In November 2026 he returned to the headlines as the headline name in the I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! 2026 line-up, two years after his wife Coleen was runner-up on the show.

Rooney is back in the spotlight after ITV confirmed the full I’m a Celebrity 2026 line-up on 10 November 2026, with the 41-year-old the first campmate to land in Australia, arriving at Brisbane Airport on 9 November. The 26th series starts on Monday 16 November 2026 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. The money side of his career is covered in Wayne Rooney’s net worth.

Quick facts

  • Full name: Wayne Mark Rooney
  • Born: 24 October 1985, Croxteth, Liverpool, England
  • Nationality: English
  • Height: 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
  • Occupation: Former professional footballer (forward); football manager and BBC pundit
  • Known for: Manchester United’s all-time top scorer (253 goals); England’s record scorer (53 goals in 120 caps); Euro 2004 breakthrough; five Premier League titles; I’m a Celebrity 2026
  • Spouse: Coleen Rooney (née McLoughlin), married June 2008
  • Children: Four sons — Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass

Early life and background

Wayne Mark Rooney was born on 24 October 1985 in Croxteth, a working-class district of Liverpool, and grew up supporting Everton. He joined Everton’s academy at the age of nine and was a mascot for the club at the age of 11 in a Merseyside derby. He came through the youth system at Everton between 1996 and 2002, and the club’s coaches quickly recognised a player of rare power and finishing ability for his age.

Everton breakthrough

Rooney made his senior debut for Everton on 17 August 2002, aged 16, in a 2–2 home draw against Tottenham Hotspur, starting the match and setting up the first goal. Two months later, on 19 October 2002 — five days before his 17th birthday — he scored a last-minute winner against Arsenal, ending the champions’ 30-match unbeaten Premier League run. At the time he was the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history. He finished his first spell at Everton with 15 goals in 67 league appearances, and by the summer of 2004 every major club in Europe wanted him.

Manchester United: record goalscorer

Rooney joined Manchester United in August 2004 for a fee reported at around £27 million — a world-record fee for a teenager at the time — and announced himself with a hat-trick on his debut, a 6–2 Champions League win over Fenerbahçe. What followed was 13 seasons in which he became the most prolific goalscorer in the club’s history: 253 goals in 559 appearances in all competitions, passing Sir Bobby Charlton’s long-standing record of 249 with his 250th goal, a late free-kick at Stoke City on 21 January 2017.

His trophy haul at Old Trafford was immense: five Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League in 2008, the UEFA Europa League in 2017, the FA Cup in 2016 — which he lifted as captain — and three League Cups, plus the FIFA Club World Cup and Community Shields. In the Premier League he scored 208 goals in total, the third-highest tally in the competition’s history, and he remains the only player with more than 200 Premier League goals and more than 100 assists (103). His overhead kick against Manchester City in the February 2011 derby is one of the most replayed goals in Premier League history. His most productive individual season came in 2009–10, when he scored 34 goals in all competitions.

Return to Everton and D.C. United

Rooney rejoined Everton in July 2017, 13 years after leaving, scoring 10 goals in 31 league appearances. The highlights included his 200th Premier League goal, at Manchester City in August 2017, and a hat-trick against West Ham on 29 November 2017, completed with a goal struck from inside his own half. In the summer of 2018 he moved to Major League Soccer side D.C. United, where he scored 23 goals in 48 league appearances. In his first season he scored 12 goals and made 7 assists in 20 regular-season games, lifting D.C. from last place to fourth in the Eastern Conference and into the play-offs, and earning a place in the MLS Best XI.

England career

Rooney made his England debut on 12 February 2003 against Australia, aged 17 years and 111 days — then the youngest player ever to play for England. He became the youngest England goalscorer on 6 September 2003 against Macedonia. His breakthrough on the world stage came at Euro 2004 in Portugal, where he scored four goals in four matches, including braces against Switzerland and Croatia, and was named in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament before injury in the quarter-final against Portugal ended his tournament.

He went on to play at the World Cups in 2006, 2010 and 2014 and at Euro 2012 and Euro 2016, finishing with 120 caps and 53 goals between 2003 and 2018. In 2015 he passed Bobby Charlton’s 49 goals to become England’s record scorer, a record he held until Harry Kane passed him in 2023. He is the third-most-capped England player of all time, behind Peter Shilton and Kane, and the most-capped England outfield player. He was named England Player of the Year four times, in 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2015. He retired from international football in August 2017 and made a farewell appearance against the United States in November 2018, his 120th cap.

Managerial career

Rooney joined Derby County as player-coach in January 2020. When Phillip Cocu was sacked in November 2020 he took caretaker charge, and on 15 January 2021 he was appointed permanent manager and retired as a player the same day, aged 35. He kept Derby up on the final day of the 2020–21 season, but the club were relegated in 2021–22 after a 21-point deduction while in administration, and he resigned in the summer of 2022.

He then managed D.C. United from July 2022 to October 2023, departing by mutual consent after failing to reach the MLS Cup play-offs. His next two jobs were short and difficult: Birmingham City, where he was appointed on 11 October 2023 with the club sixth in the Championship and sacked after 83 days and 15 games — two wins and nine defeats — with the club down to 20th; and Plymouth Argyle, appointed in May 2024 and parted by mutual consent on 31 December 2024 after 25 games in all competitions, with Plymouth bottom of the Championship. Rooney later called taking the Birmingham job his biggest managerial regret, blaming the timing and the decision to replace John Eustace. He has had no managerial job since Plymouth, and in June 2026 said a return to management was “probably not” imminent. He has since worked as a BBC pundit.

I’m a Celebrity 2026

On 10 November 2026 ITV confirmed Rooney as the headline name in the I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! 2026 line-up, the show’s 26th series. He was the first campmate to land in Australia, arriving at Brisbane Airport on Monday 9 November after a 21-hour flight, and told reporters on arrival: “I’ve never been to Australia.” The series starts on Monday 16 November 2026 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, hosted by Ant and Dec. He follows his wife Coleen, who finished runner-up in the 2024 series, and has said the show is one he “would never say no to”. Reports about his appearance fee conflict — one outlet reports £800,000 while earlier reports claimed a record fee above Coleen’s reported £1.5 million — so no fee figure is stated here. In pre-show interviews he said jumping out of a helicopter is his biggest fear, “because I’ve been booked to jump out of a plane”.

Personal life

Rooney married his childhood sweetheart Coleen McLoughlin in Portofino, Italy, in June 2008; the pair met aged 12 and had been dating since they were 16. They have four sons: Kai Wayne (born 2009), Klay Anthony (born 2013), Kit Joseph (born 2016) and Cass Mac (born 2018). Kai plays in Manchester United’s academy. In September 2017 Rooney pleaded guilty to drink-driving after being arrested in Wilmslow, Cheshire; he received a two-year driving ban and a community order, and publicly apologised for what he called an “unforgivable lack of judgement”. His wife Coleen was the central figure in the 2022 “Wagatha Christie” libel case, in which she accused Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories to the press; Vardy lost the case. Rooney was a peripheral witness, not a party.

Rooney’s United career overlapped with that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s biography, his team-mate in the 2008 Champions League-winning side, and his England goalscoring record was eventually passed by Harry Kane’s biography.

Net worth snapshot

Wayne Rooney’s net worth is estimated at between around £100 million and around £170 million as of November 2026, based on published estimates — Goal puts it at about £100 million, Celebrity Net Worth at $140 million, and The Sun at about £170 million. No Forbes, Bloomberg or Sunday Times Rich List figure exists. His wealth comes from a playing career in which he earned around £300,000 a week at his Manchester United peak, endorsement deals led by Nike, and payouts of more than £22 million from his image-rights company since 2022. Read the full breakdown in Wayne Rooney’s net worth.

Frequently asked questions

How many goals did Wayne Rooney score for Manchester United?

Wayne Rooney scored 253 goals in 559 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions, making him the club’s all-time top scorer. He passed Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 249 with his 250th goal at Stoke City on 21 January 2017.

How many goals did Wayne Rooney score for England?

Rooney scored 53 goals in 120 caps for England between 2003 and 2018. He was England’s record scorer from 2015, when he passed Bobby Charlton’s 49, until Harry Kane passed him in 2023. He is now second on England’s all-time scoring list.

Is Wayne Rooney going on I’m a Celebrity 2026?

Yes. ITV confirmed Rooney in the I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! 2026 line-up on 10 November 2026. The 26th series starts on Monday 16 November 2026 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, hosted by Ant and Dec. Rooney was the first campmate to land in Australia, arriving in Brisbane on 9 November. His wife Coleen was runner-up in the 2024 series.

What teams has Wayne Rooney managed?

Rooney has managed Derby County (interim in November 2020, then permanent from January 2021 to June 2022), D.C. United (July 2022 to October 2023), Birmingham City (October 2023 to January 2024, sacked after 15 games) and Plymouth Argyle (May to December 2024, 25 games). He has had no managerial job since leaving Plymouth.

Who is Wayne Rooney married to and how many children does he have?

Rooney has been married to Coleen McLoughlin since June 2008. They have four sons: Kai (born 2009), Klay (born 2013), Kit (born 2016) and Cass (born 2018).

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