World Cup 2010 in South Africa

Player profile: Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney photo When Wayne Rooney got injured 3 weeks ago the whole country was following closely the story, to the point that Sir Alex Ferguson himself said that “the nation can finally breathe” after it turned out to be just a minor injury. Wayne Rooney is definitely a fan favourite, and it seems like everyone in England is putting their hopes for World Cup success on the young player. His passion during each game and amazing goal scoring abilities certainly justify his role as England’s leader, therefore being healthy and on top shape during the 2010 World Cup is of the out most importance.

Wayne Rooney is currently playing for Manchester United, but he begun his career with Everton at the age of 10. Rooney’s debut in the Premier League was at 17 years old, becoming the youngest goalscorer in history. In 2003 he also became the youngest player to play and score a goal for England, and the following year he managed to become the youngest player to find net in a Euro competition. Currently at just 24 years old Wayne Rooney is a mature and experienced player, on his way to participating in a World Cup competition for the second time in his career.

England's striker Wayne Rooney In 2006 Rooney went to the World Cup finals after a serious injury, and with the doctors rushing to fix his knee on time for the most important international event. Despite the great effort he was never able to fully recover and help England go beyond the quarter finals. Wayne Rooney left the tournament scoreless, but this time he is coming to South Africa hungry for success. England is one of the favourites to win the World Cup trophy, mostly because of Wayne Rooney and his extraordinary performances with Manchester United the past few years.

As a player with his club Rooney has already won almost everything: Three times in a row Premier League Champion, UEFA Champions League title in 2008, the first Club World Cup title for a British team and many more. Now he is directing his attention in the international competitions, starting with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. And England is counting on him for success, after entirely missing the Euro 2008 and being mediocre in the last major tournaments, the English national football team is looking to make a strong comeback with Rooney leading the way.

Manchester United Wayne Rooney photo Scoring goals is Wayne Rooney’s bread and butter, and the 2009-2010 season has been one of the most productive in his entire career with 26 goals in just 29 appearances. Rooney was at his best form ever before injuring his ankle, and since David Beckham will definitely miss the World Cup in South Africa due to an injury, he needs to carry all the weight of the English offence by himself. But this shouldn’t be a problem if he keeps playing the way he did so far.