WAYNE ROONEY has claimed that he received death threats after quitting Everton for Manchester United.
The former forward, now 40, came through the ranks with the Toffees – playing 77 times across two seasons before leaving for Old Trafford aged 18.
Rooney grew up an Everton fan and famously wore an undershirt with the message “Once a Blue, Always a Blue”.
But when Sir Alex Ferguson and Co came calling, Rooney was determined to quit Goodison Park for the Theatre of Dreams.
Recounting the transfer on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain opened up on the difficult ramifications the move had for him and his family, including wife Coleen.
The striker-turned-pundit said: “I got death threats. My parents’ house was getting spray painted and smashed up.
“My girlfriend at the time, wife now, her house was getting spray painted. I think that’s where you have to be mentally strong. The people around you have to help.
“Leaving was difficult because I went to Manchester United, and Liverpool and Manchester have a big rivalry so that made it a lot more difficult.
“But I was always of a mindset of ‘I don’t care.’ I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get there. I had to stay tough in my mind.”
If he was feeling heat from his former fans, Rooney immediately endeared himself to his new Man Utd faithful by scoring a hat-trick on his debut against Fenerbahce.
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Wazza went on to become the Red Devils’ all-time leading goalscorer – bagging 253 times in 559 appearances for the club between 2004 and 2017.
In this period, he lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League, FA Cup, the Europa League and three League Cups.
There appeared to be no lasting hard feelings towards Everton, however, as Rooney returned to Goodison Park aged 31 in 2017.
Wazza said at the time: “It is some time since I said that the only Premier League club I would play for other than Manchester United was Everton, so I am delighted that the move has happened.
“Thirteen years ago I went to United with the intention of winning trophies and I have been fortunate to be a part of one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
“I have come back to Everton because I believe Ronald Koeman is building a team that can win something and I look forward to playing my part in making that a reality for the club I have supported since a boy.”
Rooney went on to play one further season at Goodison Park, scoring 11 times in 40 appearances before signing for DC United in MLS.
Wayne Rooney’s record-breaking career
WAYNE Rooney took the football world by storm when he made his debut for 2002 with Everton.
He quickly became the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer aged 16 years and 342 days and was named the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year.
The striker joined Manchester United in 2004 and spent 13 years at Old Trafford. He went on to make 559 appearances for the Red Devils and scored 253 goals. To this day he is still the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Following his spell with United, Rooney returned to Everton for a season. He also spent one-season stints with D.C. United and Derby County at the end of his career.
As well as his impressive club career, Rooney is also England’s second-highest goalscorer with 53 goals in 120 appearances, behind only Harry Kane.
After hanging up his boots, the England icon turned to a career in management.
He took charge of Derby County in 2020 and managed to just about save the club from relegation from the Championship at the end of his first season.
However, with Derby handed a 21-point deduction the following campaign, he was unable to keep them up again and subsequently left.
Then came a 15-month spell in charge of MLS side D.C. United. He failed to impress during his time in Washington and parted ways with the club at the end of the 2023 regular season.
Rooney was controversially handed the Birmingham job in October 2023, replacing John Eustace with the club doing well and sixth in the Championship table.
However, in 15 games he suffered nine defeats and managed just two wins. He was sacked in January 2024 with Birmingham down in 20th. The club were relegated to League One at the end of the campaign.
He returned to management in May with Plymouth Argyle but managed just five wins in 25 games. The United legend now finds himself out of work once again.
