When recounting the old stories of England and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, there will be many that come to mind. However, it was his time at Everton that threw up one of the most surprising and entertaining of the lot, when manager David Moyes arrived to training to find the youngster firing firework rockets off at teammate Thomas Gravesen.
Those who know of Rooney in the latter stages of his playing days, and his current managerial trade with Plymouth Argyle, will see a soft-spoken, gentle Liverpudlian with a phenomenal career goal record.
But Rooney, in his younger stages, was far more hard-edged than that. Known for his no-nonsense style of play, sharpening his studs to play against opposition he resented, and famously leathering players from a drop-ball situation, a younger “Wazza” was one more fiery than the one we know now.
Back in 2018, Moyes, his former manager at Everton and later Manchester United, recounted one antic that highlighted his boyish nature.
Moyes’ Hilarious Account of the Firework Story
“Stop that, will ye?”
Imagine being in Moyes’ position. You turn up to training, get everyone through their paces. You spend time going over the game before, preparing on errors to precisely prepare for the next to come, before sending everyone away for physical therapy and independent gym work.
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When heading into the gym area to oversee the preparation of your star players, you hear the sounds of loud explosions and bright colours and smoke coming out the front door.
Potentially fearing the worst, you head inside, just to find your teenage prodigy Wayne Rooney engaging in a firework shoot-out with star midfielder Thomas Gravesen.
