Wayne Rooney names his favourite player plus the famous hardman he wrote to in prison

Martin Macdonald

12 Dec 2025 07:15 CST
2 min read

Wayne Rooney has named his favourite player of all time and also the famous Scottish hardman that he wrote to as a young man.

The Englishman signed for Man Utd in 2004 at the age of just 18 after emerging as a generational talent at Everton.

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'Wazza' would go on to become the Red Devils' greatest ever goalscorer as well as England's top scorer, though the latter record has since been taken by Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane.

While at Man Utd, Rooney won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups, one Champions League, one Europa League and one Club World Cup title.

He rejoined Everton in 2017 before short periods at D.C. United and Derby County and after retirement he became a manager then a pundit.

As a young footballer, Rooney idolised one Duncan Ferguson, who in 1994 spent three months in prison for headbutting Raith Rovers' John McStay before he joined The Toffees.

"There was a guy who played for Everton and he actually went to jail," he told BBC Sport.

"And I was a young boy who supports Everton, so I used to write to him in jail and then he’d write back. And then, four years later, I played alongside him. So for me that was the biggest thing. It was just me telling him how much I love him."

When asked to name some other of his idols, Rooney name checked O Fenômeno, Ronaldo:

"There’s so many and like Ronaldo, R9, for me as well. Just watching him play was incredible. He was like my favourite player, really."

Rooney nearly joined Newcastle before Man Utd

In 2004, Newcastle were close to securing his signature as Man Utd and Sir Alex Ferguson initially wanted to wait until a year later and he even had a conversational with the legend that is Sir Bobby Robson, then the Magpies manager.

"I would have certainly went [to Newcastle]," he previously said on BBC's The Wayne Rooney Show.

"Manchester United wanted to wait a season and then sign me the year after they did sign me. Newcastle put a bid in and if Manchester United hadn't come in, I would have gone to Newcastle.

"Those two were bidding against each other. My agent's best mate was chairman at Newcastle at the time! So I'm sure he was getting nudged to try to get me as well.

"I wanted to go to Manchester United, but I spoke with Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer. In true Bobby Robson style, on the phone he called me 'Mark'. I thought he had either forgotten my name or he was a genius - because that's my middle name."

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