Wayne Rooney played his career with the best to play the game. The pinnacle of his career is part of the Champions League winning side, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vizic and Ryan Giggs.
Before he could perform in Manchester’s Red, Rooney broke as Everton’s young starlet. His Premier League debut at the age of 16 was greeted two seasons by Irish Alex Ferguson and Manchester United after playing in his hometown of Liverpool.
When Rooney broke into the first team, Everton had plenty of impressive offensive oriented players he could model himself, including Welsh winger Mark Pembridge and the late Kevin Campbell. But there’s one striker that Rooney especially likes, and they’ll continue to play together 31 times.
Rooney’s “favourite player” has grown up
Rooney’s rapid development as a youth saw him make his Premier League debut at just 16 years old. Some players do not enter first team football until they are in their 20s, but being able to play at such a young age at a higher standard allowed Rooney to play alongside Duncan Ferguson.
At the Everton Legends match in March, Rooney recalls the beginning of his career and praise for Ferguson, signing a £4 million former Rangers record to “favorite player.”
“My favorite was Duncan Ferguson. His passion and fighting. I loved watching him play. Then I was able to play with him, so he was probably my favorite player.”
While Rooney praised Ferguson for his impressive ability, many know the Scots of his Hardman persona and the disciplinary record less modest than his reward.
When he competed in his 319 career, he received 44 yellow cards and six red cards. That is, every six games, I received some form of cards on average.
Ferguson’s brief approach to dealing with Rooney
Ferguson clearly knew his reputation and took it into consideration when dealing with the young, impressive Rooney. When speaking to the football podcast on a stick, he said:
“Wayne was only young at the time, but we went through at Everton. We could see where he was going. He wasn’t there, but he was still the top top player. We could see what he was going to be.
“I was shy from Wayne. Wayne was younger than me and I think he respects me. I was a bit worried because I wasn’t the best role model and he was just a young child. He was the biggest talent in the UK.
When Ferguson advised Rooney, it seemed to be the best advice of his career. Ferguson said his advice to Rooney: “Newcastle is a great club with great fans, but if Ir Alex Ferguson wants you, you have to go there,” he said, and was clearly the right move to be given success at United.
