Rooney reveals how he had demise threats when he moved from Everton to Man United as a teen
Footballing icon Wayne Rooney’s career was just taking off when he was offered the chance to play for the Red Devils, but in a new podcast he revealed he was hit horrible threats
England legend Wayne Rooney has said he received death threats when he signed for Manchester United as a teen. The Liverpool-born striker was just 18 when he made the switch from his boyhood team Everton to the Red Devils.
He said making the £27m move in 2004 after turning down a club record contract offer sparked a nasty backlash from Toffees fans. Wazza, 40, revealed: “I got death threats.
“My parents’ house was getting spray painted and smashed up,” he admitted, explaining everyone is his life was targeted. “My girlfriend [Coleen] at the time, wife now, her house was getting spray painted.
“I think that’s where you have to be mentally strong. The people around you have to help.
“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. But I was always of a mindset of ‘I don’t care’; I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get there.
“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.”
Speaking on his BBC series The Wayne Rooney Show, he admitted young footballers in the modern game face a different pressure because of social media. He said he has helped his oldest son Kai, who is on the books at Old Trafford, make sure he has a strong support network as he bids to follow in his footsteps as a pro.
Wayne added: “Now the difference is social media. When I was young, I was in the local newspapers and so everyone in Liverpool really knew me.
“Now I have it with my boy who’s 16 and he’s on social media. He plays for my United, he’s sponsored by Puma and there’s hundreds of thousands or millions of people watching them when they’re that young, and I didn’t have that really.
“Being a young player and going into the first team especially, you’re getting judged. Rightly or wrongly, you get judged and that’s where you need the people around you, people at the club or your family to keep you in a good place.
“We can all get carried away with social media as well. So it’s really important that the people who are close to you have your best interest. It’s the main thing.”
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