Sports Nicknames - Wazza

Wayne Rooney is one of the most famous names of the last two decades in association football. Whether it was his early antics as a teen, incredible goal scoring record or on-field aggressiveness, Rooney made sure that everyone in England had an opinion of him.



Although Rooney would play most of his career at Manchester United, he started playing at Everton. He made his debut at the age of 16, before scoring a last minute winner against Arsenal. He would stay at Everton from 2002-04 before making his move to Manchester United.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney would flourish. He would consistently find the net as his creativity, pace and striking technique gave him an edge over many opponents. Such was his ability that fans started naming after the English legend Paul "Gazza" Gascoigne's nickname - "Wazza".

As Rooney aged, he slowly moved further back down the field into the midfield. After his highly successful United days, he returned to Everton before moving to the U.S for D.C United. He is currently at Derby County as a player and interim manager.

Rooney has a full trophy cabinet, winning 5 Premier Leagues, 1 Champions League and 1 Europa League, as well as a group of League and FA Cups. At the international level, he is the all-time leading English goal scorer with 53 strikes in 120 appearances.

Once you start getting compared to a player as revered as Paul Gascoigne, you know you're doing something right. While Rooney might not have accomplished much after his prime of the United days, he clearly has done something special.

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