Wayne Rooney: Simply Red

by Frank Worrall (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2005

  $5.71

  Wayne Rooney is undoubtedly the most talked-about teenager in Britain, due to his undeniable footballing skills, record transfer fees and controversial off-the-field activities. But what is the real story behind the headlines and what makes the 'boy wonder' tick? In this revelatory book, author Frank Worrall goes behind the scenes to get the inside story on what has been a remarkable season for Rooney. The debate has continued to rage over Rooney since he became the world's most expensive teenager after joining Manchester United for the sum of GBP27 million in September 2004. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson staked his reputation and his budget on the player, whose decision to leave Everton inspired vitriolic abuse and death threats from his former fans in Merseyside. So is Rooney the new Pele or is he heading for early burn-out like George Best and Paul Gascoigne? Was the fee paid a small price to pay for the greatest young talent in the world or an obscene amount to spend on a teenager who could be destroyed by his own inner demons? This probing book reveals the dark machinations behind the deal that took Rooney from Goodison Park to Old Trafford, investigates the vicious hate campaign waged against the star, details his first bust-up with Ferguson and documents his part in the infamous tunnel row after the game against Arsenal on 1 February 2005. Off the pitch, Rooney has had an equally turbulent time. His fiancee Colleen threatened to leave him after it was reported in the tabloids that he had visited massage parlours, while his parents were left to face up to the angry mobs in Liverpool. Then there were the problems involved in trying to settle in Manchester, his fractured relationship with agent Paul Stretford and the emergence of American millionaire Malcolm Glazer - who admitted he wanted to cash in on United after he witnessed Rooney's amazing initial impact. This book tells the full, explosive story of Wayne Rooney's rise to fame. It delves beneath the headlines and the scandal to build a portrait of his crazy life so far as a young football star.

• Used

  Paperback
  2006

  $3.40

  As the 2006 World Cup drew ever nearer, never had so much been expected of one so young in England. The nation?s hopes for an end to 40 years of hurt rested squarely on the shoulders of 20-year-old Wayne Rooney. This detailed biography charts his remarkable rise to the top, climaxing with his 2006 season at Manchester United and his impact on the world stage in Germany. It covers Rooney's astonishing story from adolescence to the World Cup of 2006, providing the definitive objective insight into just what makes the ?boy wonder? tick. Author Frank Worrall delves behind the headlines and the furore surrounding the man-boy who, in August 2004, became the world's most expensive teenager after joining United for 27 million pounds. Is Rooney the new Pele or is he heading for early burnout like George Best and Paul Gascoigne? And what about his inner demons, that temper and his often stormy relationship with his fiancee Coleen? From the massage parlours, the betting and the boozing, to the wonder goals and the glory, this book tells the full, explosive story of Rooney's rise to fame and builds a portrait of his crazy life as a young football star.