Wayne Rooney : Simply Red

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.