Age at first goal: 16 years, 360 days "Remember the name!" Clyve Tyldesley's famous line of commentary has become etched in Premier League history, documenting the day that England's future record goalscorer burst on to the scene and announced himself to the country. The boyhood Everton fan was a barrel-chested youth with the hairline of a middle aged man even at the age of 16. Arsenal had not lost for 30 league matches when they rolled into Goodison Park on 19th October, 2002 and could not have expected that their stranglehold on the league would be broken by a 16 year old earning £80 per week. With just 30 seconds to go and the game balanced at 1-1, young substitute Wayne Rooney controlled an aimless punt upfield from Thomas Gravesen and curled the ball into David Seaman's top corner from 30 yards out. It was his first Premier League goal, but it would be far from his last. What happened next? Presumably you already know how it went for Rooney: two seasons at Everton, "once a blue always a blue", the big money move to Manchester United, 244 career goals for them (and counting), England's highest ever goalscorer, five Premier League titles, two League Cups and a Champions League in his trophy cabinet. Whatever you think of Rooney, he has definitely fulfilled the prophecies of superstardom from when he was a teenager.
David is an office drone and freelance writer for WhatCulture and Moviepilot, among others. He's also foolishly writing a serialised novel on Jukepop and has his own irregularly updated website. He's available for freelance work. Reach out on Twitter to @davefox990
