Wayne
Rooney: My Story So Far, by Wayne Rooney (2006)
At just 20 years of age, Wayne Rooney has already become one of the best - and best-known - footballers in the world.
From his early years in Croxteth, his Premiership debut as a 16-year-old, his ebullient entrance on the international scene in Euro 2004, to the drama of the 2006 World Cup, this is his story so far.
What is the true story behind the most talked-about person in British football? Were there signs of things to come in his upbringing in the backstreets of Liverpool? What were the early influences that shaped his character? And, how has the meteoric rise to fame and fortune affected this seemingly shy yet prodigiously gifted youngster? For the first time in his own words, Rooney opens up about the defining years of his life as the son of a working-class family, brought up in a council house with his Everton-mad family.
He tells how his life changed irrevocably when Alex Ferguson and Manchester United came calling in the summer of 2004, his dazzling efforts for England in the European Championships, a private life never far from the tabloid headlines, and the real story behind his relationship with partner Coleen McLoughlin.
Rooney also describes the tension in the England camp at World Cup 2006, particularly the frustration of those who didn't make the final squad. He reveals who are his closest friends in the England set-up, as well as his views on England captain David Beckham and Sven-Goran Eriksson. And, he reveals the anguish of the foot injury - how it happened, its effect on him and his family and the efforts to get him fit and playing again.
- Also recommended: Wayne Rooney: The Story of Football's Wonder Kid, by Harry Harris and Danny Fullbrook (2003)