Happy birthday to Rooney: 20 facts about the man Rooney

Wayne Mark Rooney was born this day 1985. He needs no further introduction. He's currently England and Manchester United's captain. He is married to Collen Rooney and they have two boys. Kai and Klay Rooney.

Here are twenty facts about our birthday captain.
1. Rooney began his footballing adventure by playing for Liverpool

Schoolboys and scored 72 goals in one season.

2. At age nine, Rooney played for Copplehouse boys' club in the local Walton and Kirkdale junior league and scored 99 goals in his final season before joining Everton.

3. He was  nine, when he joined the youth team of Everton , for whom he made his professional debut in 2002 at the age of 16.

4. On 19 October 2002, five days before his 17th birthday, Rooney scored a last-minute winning goal against Arsenal.  A goal that ended Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten run, and
also made Rooney the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, a records that has since been broken twice.

5. Wayne Rooney was eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland, through his Irish grandma. He later confirmed that he had rejected an approach from Ireland at the age of 16.

6. Wayne  Rooney made his senior international debut in February 2003 aged 17 years, 111 days, becoming the youngest player to represent England though the  record has since been broken by Theo Walcott.

7. On 6 September 2003, aged 17 years and 317 days, Rooney became the youngest player to score for England.

8. In  2002, Rooney was declared as the “BBC Young sports Personality of the Year”. He became the first footballer to be so declared since the  inception of the award.

9. In 2004, Rooney joined Manchester united for  £25.6 million, which by then  was the highest fee ever paid for a teenager as Rooney was still only 18 when he joined United.  

10. On his arrival at United, he was given the Jersey number 8,  and made his debut on 28 September 2004, in a Champions League match against Fenerbache. United won the match 6–2, with Rooney scoring a hat-trick and making an assist. 

11. Wayne Rooney has scored 50 goals and has 18 assists in 107 international appearances, making him England's all time record goalscorer and joint-fifth most-capped player .

12. Rooney is also the most red carded player for England, having been sent off twice.

13. In June 2007, Rooney was given jersey number 10, last worn by Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

14. On 23 January 2010, Rooney scored all four goals in Manchester United's 4–0 win over Hull City. The first time he would be scoring four in one match.

15. After scoring three in the famous 8 -2 victory over Arsenal, Rooney scored another hat-trick in a 5–0 away win over Bolton Wanderers, becoming only the fourth player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick in consecutive games.

16. His goal in the 3–0 win away to Everton on 17 October 2015,  puts him on 187 Premier League goals, joint second with Andy Cole and behind only Alan Shearer.

17. In total, Rooney has scored 236 goals for United, making him the club's third highest goal scorer of all time and 303 career goals.

18. He is the author of the books “My Story So Far” and “My Decade in the Premier League".

19. On 14 November 2009, Rooney captained England for the first time in a pre- tournament friendly with Brazil.

20. Rooney came fifth in the vote for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or.

"Rooney is the biggest England talent I've seen since I arrived in England. There has certainly not been a player under 20 as good as him since I became a manager
here."  Arsène Wenger on Rooney following hislast-minute goal against Arsenal in October 2002.