Long before Wayne Rooney was a Manchester United player, he was plying his trade for Everton and it looked as though it would stay that way for the foreseeable back in 2004. Two years earlier, Rooney had come through the Toffee's ranks and emerged as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League, scoring 15 goals for the Merseyside club. He seemed happy at Goodison Park and even unveiled the now-infamous 'once a Blue, always a Blue' tee-shirt after scoring a goal. That would come back to haunt him. In 2004, Rooney signed for Manchester United for £27 million, much to the fury of Everton supporters who immediately branded him a 'Judas'. The terrace chant 'once a Blue, always a Red' soon surfaced, and the England star proved there is no such thing as loyalty in football, regardless of what's daubed on the front of a shirt.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
