10 facts about Wayne Rooney that you didn't know

Modified May 02, 2014 10:42 GMT

He wears the number 10 shirt for Manchester United,he's a goal machine,he's aphenomenal talent,he's a record breaker andsome might say thebest Englishman to grace Old Trafford since the legendary Bobby Charlton.He goes by the name of Wayne Rooney and here are 10 amazing facts about United's number 10.

#1 Rooney was booed on his Everton debut

The striker made his full debut on 17th August 2002 aged 16, making him the youngest player after Joe Royle in Everton’s history, against Tottenham Hotspur and was met with quite a hostile reception from their fans.

The Spurs fans chanted “Who are ya” at the youngster throughout the match. They sure know who he is now.

#2 His maiden Premier League goal ended Arsenal\'s 30 game unbeaten streak

Rooney introduced himself to the world with a screamer of a goal in a 2-1 win against Arsenal five days before he turned 17 which ended their 30 match unbeaten run and made him the Premier Leagues youngest ever goalscorer.

#3 Newcastle United almost signed Rooney

Legendary Newcastle United manager Bobby Robson was amazed by Rooney’s potential and was willing to fork out £20 million for the young forward as a potential heir to Alan Shearer but the bid was turned down by Everton.

Manchester United’s former manager Sir Alex Ferguson then stepped in and managed to bring Rooney to Old Trafford for £25.6 million.

#4 Rooney created records on his Manchester United debut too

Rooney had a memorable Manchester United debut in the Champions League game against Fenerbahce on 28th September 2004 when he scored a stunning hat-trick along with an assist.

Rooney was 18 years and 135 days old when he scored the hat-trick making him the youngest player to do so in the Champions League. The hat-trick against Fenerbahce was the first of his seven hat-tricks so far.

#5 August is his favorite month

The 28-year-old has scored 233 goals for Manchester United until now and will certainly break Sir Bobby Charlton’s record in the future but stats have pointed out that Rooney is at his destructive best in the month of August and has netted 29 goals so far in that month, the highest of all the months.

#6 Rooney was eligible to play for Ireland

Rooney could have played for Ireland as his grandparents are of Irish origin. The Irish supporters tried to convince the youngster to commit his international future to them due to his goalscoring exploits but he ultimately chose England.

#7 He is quite a foodie

Footballers usually follow a strict dietary regime but Wayne Rooney never shies away from food.

Rooney enjoys salad, sausages, baked beans, eggs and chips and loves to guzzle a can of Diet Coke every once in a while.

#8 Rooney was sued by David Moyes for 500,000 in 2006

David Moyes, who managed Wayne Rooney at Everton and Manchester United, sued the player in 2006 after the striker made some hurtful claims about him in his autobiography.

A newspaper published extracts from his autobiography Wayne Rooney: My Story So Far in which he accused Moyes of disclosing the private details of his Everton departure to the press.

Rooney later admitted to being wrong and reached a £500,000 settlement with his former manager.

#9 He is an avid boxer

Rooney has a fondness for boxing and has been spotted at many bouts. The striker has stated that his favourite boxer is former world champion Mike Tyson.