Wayne Rooney has exclusively told talkSPORT he has ‘one regret’ from his glittering career – that he didn’t play as a striker in his final season at Everton.
In 2002, the world stood in unison to applaud the 16-year-old boy who, in the dying seconds of the game, plucked the ball out of the sky and sent a swirling shot crashing in off the crossbar.
Not only had Rooney just scored the winner, it was against defending Premier League champions Arsenal to bring a 30-game unbeaten run to a shuddering halt.
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Rooney burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old
Such was the striker’s meteoric rise, it was not long before Manchester United came calling and Rooney became the world’s most expensive teenager in 2004.
After 559 appearances and 253 goals for the Red Devils, Rooney ignored lucrative offers from China and MLS to return to Goodison Park in 2017.
But his Everton homecoming did not go to plan for the former England captain, with the Toffees struggling at the wrong end of the table.
Rooney fell down the pecking order under manager Sam Allardyce and, when he did get time on the pitch, he was often played in a deeper role to help out Everton’s midfield.
And looking back on his illustrious career in the Premier League, Rooney says that’s the only thing he would change.
“I loved playing football and being involved in the game,” Rooney told Drivetime on Thursday.
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The striker went on to become Manchester United’s record goalscorer after a £30million move in 2004
“But, if I was maybe a little bit more selfish, then my stats would probably be a bit better if I played as a number nine throughout my career.
“I think my only regret, really, was my last year at Everton.â€
Given his precocious ability on the ball, managers at club and international level opted to drop the 33-year-old into midfield to utilise his range of passing.
However, England’s record goalscorer wanted to play as a central striker to showcase his predatory instincts in front of goal.
And Rooney believes he should have insisted on playing up front during his last season at Everton – even when the team was faltering.
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He continued: “I started off playing as a striker and then the team wasn’t doing well and then, all through my own fault really, speaking with the manager we both felt it would be better if I went into a midfield role to try and help us get control of games really.
“When really, I think I should have turned round and said: ‘I want to be up top and scoring goals’.
“I had done it in the first half of the season but, when I went into the midfield role, I didn’t do it so much.â€
Listen back to a clip of Wayne Rooney’s interview on talkSPORT above
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