Former England striker Wayne Rooney has revealed that he received death threats and endured property damage after his contentious transfer from his boyhood club, Everton, to Manchester United in 2004.
Rooney, then 18, moved to Old Trafford in a £27 million deal after rejecting a record contract offer from Everton. His exit angered the Everton fanbase, particularly given his prior public association with the club.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the 40-year-old stated that the backlash included: death threats; his parents’ house being vandalized (“spray painted and smashed up”); and his now-wife’s house being spray-painted.
Rooney acknowledged that the move to rival Manchester United, compounding the existing Liverpool-Manchester rivalry, made the situation “a lot more difficult.”
However, he emphasized that he remained mentally tough, saying, “I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get there.” Rooney went on to spend 13 trophy-laden seasons at United, securing five Premier League titles and the Champions League, before eventually returning to Everton for one season in 2017.
