Wayne Rooney’s bold £27 million move from Everton to Manchester United at the age of 18 didn’t just shock the football world; it sparked a storm of hostility from his Merseyside roots. Among the backlash were chilling death threats and vandalism aimed at his family, an intense trial that tested his resilience right from the start. Looking back two decades later, Rooney reflects on the turbulent summer of 2004, which became a defining moment in his career—one that forged his mental toughness and set him on the path to becoming United’s all-time leading scorer.
Speaking candidly on The Wayne Rooney Show for BBC Sport, the now 40-year-old former striker recalled the intense backlash following his controversial transfer.
“I got death threats,” Rooney shared, his voice calm as he reflected. “My parents’ house was getting spray-painted and smashed up. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, had her house getting spray-painted as well.” The transfer was seen as an act of disloyalty by many Everton supporters, especially since he had rejected a lucrative contract offer from the club.
“Leaving was difficult because I went to Manchester United, and Liverpool and Manchester were huge rivals, so that made it even harder,” he explained. “But I was always of the mindset of ‘I don’t care’. I knew what I wanted, and I knew how to get there. I had to stay mentally tough. These were people from my city, so it was tough, but I thought ‘I don’t care,’ you have to be selfish and make these decisions.”
Rooney’s departure from Goodison Park in August 2004 marked the end of a meteoric rise. Having burst onto the scene at 16 with a stunning debut goal against Arsenal, becoming the youngest scorer in Premier League history at the time, he had already shown immense promise. Over three seasons at Everton, he netted 17 goals in 67 appearances, catching the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson, who saw in the Croxteth native a successor to the club’s attacking legends. The transfer fee shattered records for a teenager, signaling United’s intent to dominate the post-Beckham era. However, to Everton fans, this was a painful betrayal, intensified by the fierce rivalry between the two clubs.
The hostility went beyond just boos. Reports from the time mentioned masked groups targeting his family home, unfurling banners that read “Once a Blue, always a Blue” and turned them into threats of violence. The police were frequently called in, with Cheshire Constabulary confirming incidents of vandalism and harassment. Despite these challenges, Rooney relied on a tight-knit support system—his family, fiancée Coleen McLoughlin, and early mentorsto help him weather the storm.
“I think that’s where you have to be mentally strong. The people around you have to help,” he said, crediting his inner circle for helping him manage the isolation that came with his ambitious move.
That resilience proved essential at Old Trafford, where Rooney went on to become a club legend. Over 13 trophy-laden years, he scored 253 goals in 559 appearances, breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s long-standing record. Rooney collected five Premier League titles, a Champions League crown in 2008, and numerous domestic cups. His debut a brace in a 6-2 demolition of Fenerbahçe in the Champions League set the tone for his United career, while iconic goals like the 2004 overhead kick against Manchester City became folklore.
By 2017, after a return to Everton on a free transfer for a poignant farewell, Rooney had redeemed his narrative, finishing his Toffees career with 28 goals in 117 appearances. He had achieved everything, from conquering the Premier League to winning Europe’s elite club competition, and ultimately, silencing the critics who once deemed him a traitor.
Now, as a father guiding his son through the pressures of professional football, Rooney draws strong comparisons between his own experience and what his son Kai, 16, is going through. Kai has already fast-tracked through Manchester United’s academy, earning a Puma sponsorship and debuting in the U18 Premier League, including scoring in a 5-0 win against Everton—mirroring his father’s first steps in the game.
“The difference now is social media,” Rooney observed. “When I was young, I was in the local newspapers, and everyone in Liverpool knew me. Now with my boy, he’s 16, sponsored by Puma, and there are hundreds of thousands or millions of people watching him when he’s that young. I didn’t have that back then.”
“Being a young player and going into the first team, you get judged. Rightly or wrongly, you get judged. That’s when you need the people around you to keep you grounded,” Rooney advised. “We can all get carried away with social media, so it’s crucial that the people close to you have your best interests at heart. That’s the most important thing.”
