Wayne Rooney has outlined how his trademark winner’s mentality was already ingrained on the day he netted his famous first Premier League goal as a 16-year-old – by joking he was “fuming” he had to come off the bench to get it.
It was 15 years on Thursday that Rooney emerged as a substitute at Goodison Park to whip a last-minute shot past David Seaman and end Arsenal’s 30-match unbeaten league run.
Rooney recalls he was left “buzzing” by the goal because it meant he realised his dream of becoming the first 16-year-old ever to net in the competition.