The most successful player to feature on this list, there is no denying that Wayne Rooney has been hugely successful since leaving Everton, and oppositely the club has even flourished since losing him. It is a deal that worked out well for both parties, despite the devastation felt by Evertonians at the time. Rooney first broke into the Everton team in 2002, becoming the youngest first team player to play for Everton since Joe Royle and their youngest goal scorer some time later, a record that was later broken by James Vaughan. His best moment for the Blues came five days before his 17th birthday, when he scored a last minute winning goal against Arsenal that ended their 30 game unbeaten run. In 2004, he joined Manchester United for £25.6 million pounds, the highest fee ever paid for a player under 20 years of age. Since joining the Red Devils, the club has won the Premier League five times, the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the League Cup twice. In that period, Rooney has scored 217 goals, making him the clubs third highest goal scorer of all time, with many expecting him to surpass Sir Bobby Charltons record of 249 at some point. On the international stage, he has won 97 international caps and scored 41 goals making him the ninth most capped player and fourth highest goal scorer ever, despite Englands failures. He is likely to overtake the overall goals record for England, which is also held by Sir Bobby Charlton.
