Chapter 1: a generational striking talent, 2002-04



The buzz around Wayne Rooney had started long before his Premier League bow against Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of the 2002-03 campaign. Seasoned observers of Everton’s academy sides were extolling the virtues of a generational striking talent who was breaking all kinds of records for the club’s youth teams.



After scoring eight goals in eight games on the way to the 2001-02 FA Youth Cup final — including a stunner from long-range at White Hart Lane in the semi-final — Rooney was named on the bench by David Moyes for the Premier League trip to Southampton in April 2002, and handed the No 18 shirt previously worn by one of his idols, Paul Gascoigne.



An unused substitute that day, Rooney then gave Everton fans their first real glimpse of his potential in the first leg of the Youth Cup final against Aston Villa, scoring a poacher’s header at the back post to reveal the famous...