Wayne Rooney is officially a Derby County player.
The 34-year-old has joined the Rams on an initial 18-month contract until the summer of 2021, with the option of a further year.
Rooney, having been registered as a player and allocated squad number 32, could make his debut in Derby’s home fixture against Barnsley in the Sky Bet Championship on Thursday 2nd January (7:45pm kick-off).
Tickets for the Rams’ first game of the decade at Pride Park Stadium are still available to purchase. Buy your match tickets here!
It has been a long wait for England and Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer to be in a position to make his Rams bow, with the news of his impending arrival from Major League Soccer side DC United coming back in August.
As well as penning a playing contract with Derby, Rooney has also linked up with the Rams as a coach under manager Phillip Cocu and will continue to develop his coaching credentials in preparation for a potential managerial career.
Rooney has been training with his new team-mates since the end of November on a full-time basis and has been in-and-around the squad and staff on matchdays for the last month.
Rooney, who scored 53 times in 120 appearances for England, has won an incredible 16 honours in club football to date.
With over 700 appearances and 300 goals to his name in club football, including a record 253 for Manchester United, Rooney is undisputedly one of the biggest and most recognisable names in world football.
As well as displaying his undoubted footballing quality on the pitch, Rooney has also demonstrated his leadership skills by wearing the captain’s armband for both club and country in his career.
Wayne Rooney In Profile
Rooney’s distinguished career began at Everton in 2002 at the age of 16 and he burst onto the first-team scene as one of the most exciting prospects in English football.
Despite his young age, he made 77 appearances for the Toffees and his eye-catching potential saw him join Manchester United in 2004, then managed by Sir Alex Ferguson.
He went on enjoy 13 trophy-laden seasons at Old Trafford and performed at the highest level as the Reds competed for major honours.
In total he scored 253 goals for United, in 559 appearances, which made him their all-time record goalscorer and also regularly wore the captain’s armband.
He lifted the Premier League trophy five times during his time at Old Trafford, as well as the FA Cup once and the EFL Cup on three occasions.
He was also a Champions League winner in 2007/08, as well as winning the Europa League during 2016/17 in his final season at Old Trafford.
Other honours include the Community Shield four times and the FIFA Club World Cup once.
Rooney returned to Everton in the summer in 2017 and spent a year back at Goodison Park, scoring 11 times in 40 matches, before moving to DC United in the summer of 2018 to begin a new chapter in Major League Soccer.
His time in Washington saw him make a key impact on the pitch, appearing 52 times and scoring 25 goals.
He grabbed his first goal against the Colorado Rapids in July 2018, by which time his presence had galvanised the side and a string of impressive performances followed.
The conclusion of the 2018 MLS campaign saw Rooney named as DC United's Most Valuable Player and golden boot winner having notched an impressive 12 goals in 21 matches. In May of last year he scored his 300th career goal, while he also netted from inside his own half, against Orlando City.
In July 2019 he was selected to play in the MLS All-Star Game against Atletico Madrid and he helped DC United reach the 2019 Play-Offs.
On the international stage, Rooney made his debut for England in 2003 whilst with Everton.
He went on to represent the Three Lions at six major tournaments and also took on the responsibility of team captain, wearing the armband for the first time in 2012.
His 120 caps mean he is the most capped outfield player to play for England, while he became England’s all-time record goalscorer in September 2015 – with his last international appearance coming in 2018.