Jermain Defoe has revealed that Wayne Rooney often displayed a different side of his personality away from the pitch. The former England striker described the Manchester United and England legend as "so humble" and full of love for people, contrasting sharply with the confidence and aggression Rooney showed during his breakthrough at Everton aged 16.
A Global Star's Rise
Rooney quickly became a global superstar, showing no fear against more experienced professionals as his career progressed. After starring for England at Euro 2004, he joined Manchester United for £25.6million, becoming the world's most expensive teenager at the time.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson's guidance, Rooney's winning mentality and competitiveness were often on full display as he claimed five Premier League titles, the Champions League, and numerous other major honours. These traits, combined with his natural ability, made him United and England's all-time top scorer, though Harry Kane has since taken the latter accolade.
Defoe's Insight into Rooney's Character
Having been in the spotlight from an early age, the 40-year-old's on-pitch persona was well-documented. However, Defoe, who played alongside Rooney for England on 28 occasions, offered insight into a more humble and caring nature after experiencing a different side of his character.
"Wayne Rooney was special," Defoe said on The Warm-Up podcast by William Hill. "I could talk about his footballing ability for hours because he is one of the best players England has ever produced, but away from football he is so humble. He has so much love for people; you see it and you feel it. Because of how he is as a person, good things were always going to happen for him."
Selfless Team Player
The United legend and his family are the subjects of a new Disney+ docuseries, The Real Rooneys. While Rooney had already begun to showcase his personality as a pundit, Defoe fondly remembered their time working together.
"He was so natural, and he enjoyed it. He used to tell me to make runs and he would find me," Defoe continued. "I got the feeling that he wanted me to score. To be like that, you have to be a special person. I played with a lot of centre forwards who, if they're on the bench and you score, you can see that they're raging. Rooney was completely different. He would score goals, but it wasn't about that for him – it was about winning."
Defoe added: "He could do everything. He scored a lot of goals when he was young but then sacrificed that for a few years at Manchester United to become a winger and allow Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to do what they do. He was humble enough to be on the side of that but know that it was helping them to win the Premier League. That's all he was focused on."
The 40-year-old ended his 13-year stint at United with a record 253 goals in 559 appearances. On the international stage, Rooney scored 53 goals across his 120 England caps, while Defoe netted 20 times for the Three Lions in 57 games.
