Wayne Rooney came through Everton’s academy, famously scoring his first senior goal against Arsenal at the age of just 16 in October 2002. Wayne Rooney has recalled the time he was sued by his former Everton manager David Moyes over comments he made in his book.
Rooney was given his debut by Moyes, who had arrived at Goodison Park from First Division side Preston North End earlier that year.
Rooney would leave Everton in the summer of 2004, moving to Manchester United for a then British record transfer fee of £30 million.
Before that though Arsenal boss Wenger dubbed him ‘the biggest England talent I have seen’ since his arrival in English football.
It was three years later that Moyes took legal action against Rooney, and was awarded ‘significant’ libel damages following publication of the forward’s 2006 autobiography, ‘My Story So Far’.
In the book, Rooney accused the Scotsman of leaking details of a private discussion between the pair, in which the forward revealed his intention to leave Everton, to a local newspaper.
Rooney’s solicitors, as well as the book’s ghostwriter and publisher, subsequently withdrew the allegations at a London high court. They apologised to Moyes, withdrew the allegations and agreed to pay damages. The damages and costs were covered by HarperCollins, who published the book.
Moyes’ lawyer said in a statement: “Mr Moyes was not the source, direct or indirect, of anything in the article. There was no breach of confidence or betrayal of trust by Mr Moyes.”
It was believed that this was the first case of a football manager submitting libel action against one of their former players.
“He sued me after I left the club – I hammered him when I left because of how I felt at the time.
“Yeah [I regret that]. I spoke to him a few years after I left, I called him up and apologised because the older you get, you realise why he was doing things.
“It was new to him, to have a player getting all those headlines, for him to figure out. He was a young manager at the time, it was new to him.
“When I look back, he was good for me, he was constantly on me. He was trying not let me think that I was better than I was.”
The pair did eventually make up over time, with Moyes managing Rooney at United in the 2013/14 season.
