Wayne Rooney life. In 2012, Rooney's reported income of US$32.6 million listed him as the world's fifth highest-paid footballer, following Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Samuel Eto'o. In July 2011, jerseys with Rooney's name and number (Rooney, 10) were the best-selling sports product under the auspices of the Premier League – taking over top spot from Liverpool striker Fernando Torres (Torres, 9) and becoming the first United player to top the list since Cristiano Ronaldo’s number 7 jersey in 2008. During the 2009–10 season, Manchester United sold between 1.2 million and 1.5 million shirts and it is estimated that of
Wayne Rooney a transfer request in August 2004, despite Everton having made a new contract offer valued at £50,000 per week. Everton then rejected a bid of £20 million from Newcastle, and ultimately signed for Manchester United at the end of the month after a £25.6 million deal was reached. It was the highest fee ever paid for a player under 20 years old; Rooney was still only 18 when he left Everton. Sir Alex Ferguson, then manager of United, said that "There were plenty of eyebrows raised" when he persuaded the club's board of directors to sanction "a multi-million pound" move