(Football news) England and Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has had a career that few can only dream of. From being the brightest prospect in world football ahead of his move to Old Trafford, scoring a hat-trick on his debut to becoming one of the most complete players in the history of the game, Rooney has won almost all there is to win at the club level and is now becoming a formidable manager at Derby County.
His documentary ‘Rooney’ which is set to release in 2022 on Amazon Prime will give behind the scene access to his family life, his mental health struggles and also some of the biggest moments in his career. The 35 year old has been a subject of conversation for tabloids throughout his career with his misdemeanours being widely covered by the press. At the show’s launch in London, Rooney said “I wanted to be honest and touch on everything that has happened in my life, which is important. If I do it and I am not honest or I don’t speak about things it wouldn’t be real, so it was about me coming out and people seeing me and my family for who we are and not what is being portrayed of us as a family.
“I want people to have a better understanding of me as a person really. Throughout a young sportsperson’s life they go through difficult periods and there is a lot of me talking about moments where I was really down, I didn’t want to be around anyone. People talk about mental health, at the time I did see someone at times, it is about realising what was going through your head and trying to cope with the pressure of playing for Manchester United and trying to be successful, playing for your country, then captaining your country and taking a lot of that pressure on as well. They will get a real insight into what was going on inside my head.
“There has been a lot of stuff over the last 20 years that has been well publicised and I felt it was important people saw me behind the scenes as a family man, and what it was like growing up in a very tough area in Liverpool. This film gives everyone an insight into it. Growing up in a council estate in Liverpool wasn’t easy, I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t change it but it wasn’t easy to say the least. I think the film captures a lot of that. Getting thrown into the spotlight as a 16-year-old and having to deal with everything that comes with playing for your country at 17 was all new to me. I was learning on my feet, I had to learn quickly, of course there were some mistakes along the way as well. It is exciting for me to do it and it will be interesting for people to see it.”
Rooney was raised in a council estate in Croxteth and his tough upbringing is reflected in his style of play. As one of the last street footballers England has seen, Rooney wears his heart on his sleeve and is at his explosive best when he’s bordering on losing control of his emotions. Rooney has been a fighter on and off the pitch, going all out for a loose ball by putting his body on the line or pursuing his hobby of boxing while he’s not playing. It’ll be interesting to see how a complex personality such as Wayne Rooney is portrayed in Amazon Prime’s documentary but it’s sure to be a treat for all football fans.
