Wayne Rooney has opened up about the darkest period of his early career, revealing he and his family received death threats after his move from Everton to Manchester United in 2004.
The former England captain, now 39, spoke candidly on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show, describing the emotional turmoil that surrounded his £27m transfer at just 18 years old.
Rooney’s switch from his boyhood club came after he rejected a record-breaking contract offer from Everton. The reaction from a section of the fanbase was immediate and severe.
“I got death threats,” he said. “My parents’ house was getting spray painted and smashed up. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, her house was getting spray painted.”
The emerging superstar suddenly found himself at the centre of a storm. What should have been a landmark moment in his young career instead became a period marked by hostility and fear. Rooney recalls the shock not only for him, but for those around him.
“The people around you have to help,” he said. “Leaving was difficult because I went to Manchester United, and Liverpool and Manchester was a big rivalry so that made it a lot more difficult.”
Yet, even amid the threats, he remained steadfast. His move to Old Trafford was driven by ambition. “I was always of a mindset of ‘I don’t care’. I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get there,” Rooney said. “I had to stay tough in my mind. This was 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 went on to enjoy a legendary spell at United, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer and winning every major trophy available. But he believes the intense backlash he faced as a teenager would be even harder for young players today, given the power and reach of social media.
Reflecting on the online scrutiny aimed at his eldest son, Kai – a 16-year-old forward in Manchester United’s academy.
Rooney noted: “Now the difference is social media. When I was young, I was in the local newspapers and everyone in Liverpool really knew me. Now my boy is on social media. He plays for United, he’s sponsored by Puma, and there’s hundreds of thousands or millions of people watching them when they’re that young.”
Rooney emphasised the importance of mental support for emerging footballers. “Being a young player going into the first team, you’re getting judged. Rightly or wrongly, you get judged, and that’s where you need people around you — family, coaches — to keep you in a good place.”
The former striker also revealed a surprising childhood connection with Everton legend Duncan Ferguson.
In 1995, while serving a 44-day jail sentence for a headbutt during his Rangers days, Ferguson exchanged letters with a 10-year-old Rooney. “I used to write to him in jail, and he’d write back,” Rooney said. “It was just me telling him how much I love him. He’d say ‘thanks, it means a lot’.”
When Rooney later joined Everton’s academy, Ferguson became both a mentor and personal supporter.
“Because I was too young to drive, he’d take me home from training,” Rooney recalled. “My family were massive Evertonians, so Duncan would take me home to my mum’s, and my dad was out the window waving. It was surreal.”
