Wayne Rooney

He is married to his high school sweetheart Coleen. They have one son, Kai. His marriage hit a rocky patch when details regarding his flings with prostitutes emerged, but the couple has since reconciled and is expecting their second child.

Wayne Rooney was born as the eldest son of Thomas Wayne Rooney and his wife Jeanette Marie in Liverpool. He is of Irish descent. He has two younger brothers.

He attended Our Lady and St Swithin’s primary school and later went to De La Salle Humanities College. Ever since his childhood, he was a supporter of his local club Everton with whom he signed a contract in 2002.

He made his debut for Manchester United in 2004-05 in a home game against Fenerbahce in the UEFA Championship League. He scored a hat-trick in a 6-2 victory and was hailed as a sensational debutant.

In the 2006 League Cup, he scored twice in his team’s 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the final. He was named man of the match. He had amassed 16 goals in 36 Premier League games in the 2005-06 season.

He did not have a great beginning in the first half of the 2006-07 season, but his form improved later on. He scored a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers, and by the end of the season, he had scored 14 league goals.

In the 2007-08 season, Rooney missed many matches due to injuries. However, he finished the season with 18 goals and starred in his team’s victory over Chelsea in which Manchester United clinched the Champions League.

He became the youngest player in league history to have made 200 appearances when he played against the Blackburn Rovers in October 2008. In 2009, he scored his final league goal of the season against Tottenham. Overall, he scored 20 goals in the 2008-09 season.

He won the The BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2002 for being "touted by many as the most promising English football talent to have surfaced in recent years."

He was adjudged PFA Young Player of the Year for two seasons (2004-05, 2005-06). This award is given annually by Professional Footballers' Association to the best player of the season in English Football who is aged 23 or under.

He has been awarded the England Player of the year Award (2008 and 2009) that is presented by The Football Association to the most outstanding performers of the England national team.

Rooney’s brilliant hat-trick on his debut is certainly one of his best performances. In his first appearance for Manchester United, he scored three goals in a Champions League tie with Fenerbahce in 2004 helping his team to a 6-2 victory.

In the 2006 Champions League final against Wigan Athletic, he scored the opening goal of the match as well as the final goal to guide Manchester United to a 4-0 win. Rooney was named Man of the match for his brilliant performance.