I’m sat here watching the documentary about the ‘Wagatha Christie‘ case on Disney+ and thought ‘hmm, let’s go through the best Wayne Rooney shirts, shall we?’
The Best Wayne Rooney Shirts
There have been some great Wayne Rooney shirts down the years.
Despite not having played for all that many different clubs of huge notoriety.
Comparing it to our previous article on the great Ronaldo Nazario’s shirts throughout his career, it’s not a great comparison to hold up the Rams of Derby with the Galacticos of Real Madrid.
That being said, a football shirt contains value not just for the names associated with it, but also the stories and the fanbases that love to tell them. And each of these Wayne Rooney shirts have quite a significant story to tell.
Let’s start with the one that kicked everything off.
Everton (2002/03) Kejian Shirt
That goal against Arsenal. The goal against Arsenal.
Nobody could have asked for a more explosive start to Wayne Rooney’s career.
Apparently only sixteen years old (though he could have passed for a lot older than that in my eyes), that image of a young, stocky, fearless forward plucking the ball out of the air and curling it through the Arsenal back line and into the back of the net is a part of Premier League folklore.
It was the moment that catapulted a young man’s career to a form of superstardom within a few seconds, and that goal, with the celebration and the shirt will live long in the memory.
Akin to many young players establishing themselves in the first team, this is one of the only Wayne Rooney shirts available without the iconic pairing of the number 10 alongside it. As such, this name-set of ‘Rooney-18’ is synonymous with his rookie phase within the Everton setup in the early 2000’s.
On popular website such as Classic Football Shirts and The Soccer Archive, well-preserved pieces of this classic Everton kit with the Puma manufacture and Kejian sponsor can fetch for near-£100. Including the rarer white away strip. But everyone loves the home kits, right?
Manchester United (2004/05) Vodafone Shirt
All great strikers establish themselves on their debut performances at new clubs.
But Wayne Rooney’s debut for Manchester United is in a league of its own.
I so clearly remember that match vs Fenerbahce in the Champions League that it might as well have been done yesterday. Is that a reflection of the night itself being so memorable or more of how many times I’ve recounted the event since it happened? Honestly, it’s probably both.
Having been made to wait a little while before we got to see this young buck Wayne Rooney in a Manchester United shirt, the Old Trafford crowd rejoiced on a mild evening on the 28th September as he finally walked out the tunnel in the long-sleeved crimson strip of the Red Devils.
And when he did, he gave us all a night we’d never forget. An incredible hat-trick sealed an enormously comfortable and dominating 6-2 win for United and left us all wondering what was next.
United had been in a relative transition at the time from the famous ’99 side, and now we had this bald Evertonian leading the way, and producing one of the most recognisable of all Wayne Rooney shirts.
A fresh one of these could set you back as much as £150 with long-sleeve versions in pristine condition are getting harder and harder to find. Especially with the relatively rare ‘Rooney-8‘ name set indicative of his earlier stages coming through to the fore with Manchester United.
And if you get it, you might want to rip the neck hole a little bit for that added bit of authenticity. Quite an expensive last-minute Christmas gift, but don’t worry – we have a few other options for that here.
England (EURO 2004) Shirt
There’s a weird dichotomy with great English players and the national team.
Unless you’re a descendant of the great Sir Bobby Charlton or another member of the great 1966 side that won the World Cup, there’s always a sense of ‘what might have been’.
In the case of Rooney and the rest of the Golden Generation, it’s even worse. Because instead of what ‘might‘ have been, it’s almost a question of what ‘should‘ have been.
But back in EURO 2004, that expectation for Rooney hadn’t been expended.
Instead, it was looked at as an opportunity to rejoice and watch this brash, precocious talent strut his stuff on one of the biggest stages in Europe.
And of all the Wayne Rooney shirts to have been dispensed from his time in England, the EURO 2004 home and away jerseys (sponsored by Umbro) are proper specimens to be kept in the warmest part of the nation’s hearts. A great side, with incredible names and huge dumps of nostalgia.
With the current increase in demand for David Beckham shirts following his documentary, there has been a residual expanse in interest for his teammates. Considering this is Wayne Rooney’s ‘rookie’ international strip, then a sub-£80 general price is quite reasonable.
Summary
Wayne Rooney was a phenomenon of a football player.
A kid whose ability and mindset far outweighed his age.
He was tasked with bringing joy to millions of people from the moment he stepped onto the football pitch and, as far as the game was concerned, he continued to deliver until his final match.
As a result, there is a seriously keen interest among the collecting community to have a deeper dive into Wayne Rooney shirts and jerseys from his most enjoyable time on the grass.
Which of these Wayne Rooney jerseys do you already have?