Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Wayne Rooney: My Decade in the Premier League

Rate this book
'My Decade in the Premier League' is Wayne's first hand account of his 10 years playing at the highest level in English football - and for the biggest club in the world. This is his inside story of life on the pitch for Manchester Utd; the League titles, FA Cups, League Cups and Champions League adventures. A must for any Utd fan. Wayne Rooney is widely regarded as one of the leading football players of his generation. A talisman for Manchester United, since his transfer to them in 2004, Rooney is their star player and the first name on the team sheet. In the 10 years since he made his debut as a 16 year old for Everton, he has acquired trophy after trophy, accolade after accolade and headline after headline. 'My Decade in the Premier League' is the inside account of life as a Premier League footballer from the man every one wants to hear from. This is his story, in his words. From gracing the ground at Goodison as an excitable 16 year old to lifting the Champions League trophy with Manchester United. From the emotional high of scoring the winner against Manchester City with that overhead bicycle kick to the crushing low of the thrashing City handed out at Old Trafford in the 2011-12 season. This is a book for the fan who would kill to get just 30 seconds on the pitch at The Theatre of Dreams - to run on the famous turf and score in front of the Stretford End. 'My Decade in the Premier League' gives a real insight in to what goes in to being part of the biggest club in the world; the training pitch, the dressing room, the manager, the coaches and, most importantly, the buzz of crossing that white line and hearing the 76,000 strong crowd chant your name. In intricate, emotional detail Wayne talks about every season he has spent in the Premier League and how it feels to be one the most celebrated footballers on the planet.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2012

48 people are currently reading
733 people want to read

About the author

Wayne Rooney

19 books7 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
317 (33%)
4 stars
332 (35%)
3 stars
212 (22%)
2 stars
52 (5%)
1 star
22 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for Thomas Santarossa.
70 reviews2 followers
October 22, 2023
I love learning about football and footballers.

This wasn’t the most exhilarating read but I still enjoyed going through Rooney’s career. Highs and lows, while having an insight into the mentality of United as a squad.

Profile Image for Raghav.
2 reviews
March 4, 2021
It does not cover the entire journey of Rooney as the book was published in 2012(Rooney left the Premier League in 2018).
Although it includes many great insights from United's dressing room including the likes of legends like Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs etc.
3 reviews
February 20, 2017
Honestly I found a few good anecdotes and was presented with an insight into the personality of one of United's undisputed legends. I wouldn't read it more than once though.
Focus on the emotions of the big moments and try to identify with the experiences he describes. That helps.
Profile Image for Book MY.
36 reviews
November 8, 2025
Jika anda peminat tegar pasukan bola sepak Manchester United terutamanya pada era Sir Alex Ferguson, anda akan sangat boleh relate dan boleh follow penceritaan buku ni.

Di dalam buku My Decade In The Premier League, Wayne Rooney bercerita tentang pengalaman dan perjalanannya bergelar seorang pemain bola sepak professional bermula dari kelab yang dia sokong ketika kecil i.e Everton sehinggalah dia berpindah ke kelab Manchester United untuk peluang yang lebih baik memenangi piala.

Bahasa Inggeris yang digunakan sangat mudah untuk difahami dengan sedikit sebanyak slang tempatan diselitkan di dalam penulisan buku ini. Penulisan buku ini juga straight forward dan tidak terlalu panjang berjela.

Dalam buku ni, kita akan nampak sisi berbeza seorang Rooney - sosok tubuh yang selalu dikaitkan dengan imej seorang yang panas baran, grumpy, hard tackle.. Imej ‘budak bermasalah’ yang selalu dilaungkan oleh pihak media di sana. But there always two sides of the story. Rooney selaku seorang ayah yang penyayang, seorang rakan yang suka bercanda, seorang manusia biasa.. imej seperti itu tak mendapat tempat dalam media yang selalu mencari sensasi sebagai ramuan utamanya.

Satu perkara penting yang saya boleh belajar dari buku ni ialah mentaliti dan sikap Rooney yang sentiasa mahu berikan yang terbaik, yang sentiasa mahu menang dan bencikan kekalahan, dan juga sikap ‘Team First’ yang dia sentiasa pegang.

“It's nice to win some personal achievements but it's great to win as a team” - I think that summarises him as one of Manchester United legends, and as a person.
Profile Image for Bernardo Camacho.
68 reviews
October 27, 2025
This is a proper football autobiography. I still remember when Rooney burst onto the scene at Everton and scored that unforgettable screamer against Arsenal, or some of the most iconic goals with Man United like the overhead kick against City — and this book took me right back to those moments.

Rooney tells the story of his rise in football with honesty and energy, sharing how his determination and work ethic helped him break through at such a young age. I especially enjoyed reading about his move to Manchester United and how he adapted to a dressing room filled with legends like Neville, Giggs, Scholes, and Van Nistelrooy. Later, he became part of another golden generation that conquered Europe alongside Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, and Tevez — a team that every true football fan remembers fondly.

This is a must-read for any United supporter, and especially for football fans who lived through those glory years where Ferguson teams dominated the English top flight.

If there’s one downside, it’s that the book only covers Rooney’s first decade in the Premier League and doesn’t delve deeply into his experiences with the England squad. Still, it’s a great look into the making of one of England’s greatest players.
Profile Image for Naufal Ubaidillah.
36 reviews
October 16, 2022
The White Pele!

That is the chant that belongs to Wayne Rooney, the absolute legend of my beloved football club, Manchester Unites.

Wayne embodies Manchester United: hates losing, loves winning. He always wants to win.

His hunger for goals and great movement around the pitch truly inspired me. He always looks for ways to improve his overall play every single day.

He is fearless, merciless, and totally strong when facing any opponent.

That attitude has given me strength to copy those into my life.
28 reviews
May 31, 2020
Wayne Rooney with the volley. Goooooal! Wayne Rooney is one of the best strikers in Premier League history. This book was an insight on how Wayne Rooney prepared to be the best and his best experiences as an English footballer. My favorite part is when he talks about his experience in the Champions League Final. From this book, I learned that hard work pays off. I think this is a great autobiography and I think football fans will love this book.
Profile Image for Tim.
307 reviews
November 23, 2021
A great book from start to finish. The only thing, as a fan, that I was hoping for was a bit more of what life is like as a superstar athlete with a family or even on the road as a player. Obviously from the title is primarily focused on the 10 years just in the Premier League. A must read for any Man U or Rooney fan.
Profile Image for Viola Sung.
457 reviews24 followers
November 3, 2016
Non-fiction books will never earn my favor. But at least I finished this book, so it counts as something... I learnt loads about the football sports world, that's for sure.
Profile Image for Vardges Bokhyan.
7 reviews3 followers
June 22, 2019
Probably the most exciting and interesting autobiography ever I came across. Glad to go back in time and go through the glorous days of Rooney and Manchester United!
Reds go marchin' on on on !
Profile Image for Abhi.
6 reviews6 followers
November 28, 2020
Probably the last street footballer with such raw talent, tenacity and fight. This one is a story of his roller coaster ride with Manchester United
Profile Image for Alceste.
378 reviews
July 3, 2022
He has improved and matured as a player, and his book shows exactly. The book is well written, I enjoyed a lot, and as a Manchester United fan, I look forward to him score more goals!
18 reviews
May 17, 2024
Not great. I remember I basically stopped reading this book after Rooney (or the other write) said he was capable of running faster than Usain Bolt.
Profile Image for Erick Alonso Salinas.
197 reviews1 follower
January 7, 2025
Wayne Rooney es uno de mis futbolistas favoritos de todos los tiempos y en esta biografía pude conocer mejor cómo era en esa época tan histórica que le tocó en el Manchester United.
Profile Image for 04TannerH Hart.
7 reviews
March 19, 2014
Wayne Rooney My Decade in The Premier League. 2013. By Wayne Rooney. 309.

The book mainly tells about the 10 years and going that Wayne Rooney has had in the Premier League.

The time and the place tells where his events happened. The places in the book could not be changed considering it is a true story by the man himself.

Wayne Rooney is the really only true main character in the book. He is one of the most talented footballers to ever play and a hard working and kind guy on and off the field.

Wayne Rooney tells of his 10 years and going time in the Premier League as one of the best footballers in the league. He tells of the big rivals in the league and how he loved, supported, respected, and had the opportunity to play for them. Now As a Red Devil(Manchester United) he tells how the team has made him a better player under the direction of manager Sir Alex Fergusen. He tells of the big derby matches and the time leading up to them. One of my favorite parts of the book is when he expresses his feelings on losing. He HATES losing. He said it doesn't matter what it is. He cannot handle losing and is always wanting to step up in the big moments. He also touches a little bit on his growing up life. He said he gained weight easily growing up but found ways to over come it and find motivations to help him then and now.

I liked all of the book. He told me things that I didn't know about him before.

Two quotes I liked from the book were: 1. page 79 "I know the penalty kick is a mental battle. Me against the goalkeeper. One on one." 2. page 309 "Just give me the ball,I'll do it. Im not frightened...I want it.

Always try your hardest to be successful (never want to lose as he puts it).

I recommend this book to someone that has a little knowledge of soccer and of the Premier League.

This book sets it apart from other books because you get to know how he really is as a person because it is written in first person.

I would give the book 5 out of 5 stars.
Profile Image for Mika Auramo.
1,056 reviews36 followers
November 12, 2015
Wayne Rooneyn nimiin laitettu henkilökuva hänen kymmenestä valioliigakaudesta ei oikein jaksa vakuuttaa tai innostaa. Tämä opus on syntynyt varmaankin muutaman muun futistähden esimerkin innoittamana.

Kirja on jaettu peräti kahteenkymmeneen kolmeen lukuun, ja sisältöä on ripoteltu sikin sokin. Mistään kronologisesta järjestyksestä ei voi puhua muutoin kuin kausien seuratessa toisiaan. Silti sinne väliin on laitettu muistelmia junnuajoilta ja varhaisilta Evertonin vuosilta.

Kirjaa lukiessa ei juurikaan saa käsitystä, millainen Rooney on kentän ulkopuolella, saati millainen hänen suhteensa vanhempiinsa tai oman perheen jäseniin. Ai niin, yhdessä kohta Wayne kipaisee hakemassa Kai-pojalle lähimarketista vaippoja. Muuten hän jää yhtä tuntemattomaksi kuin jossain Goalin henkilöhaastattelussa.

Sen sijaan kirjan lukija saa melko hyvän käsityksen, miten Wayne suhtautuu pelikavereihinsa. Myös pukukopin tunnelmaan hän ottaa lukijansa melko hyvin mukaan. United-myytin ja siinä samassa Sir Fergusonin esittäminen onnistuvat kyllä mainiosti. Mielenkiintoista oli lukea myös eri liigajoukkueiden välisestä kaunasta ja pelaajasiirroista ja tähtien sopeutumisesta eri ympäristöihin.

Henkilökuvaukset ja Waynen suhde pelitovereihin jää hyvin pinnallisesti esitetyksi. Samoin on asian laita, kun futari erittelee mestareiden liigan finaalipelejä tai muita hänelle henkilökohtaisesti tärkeitä matseja. Valitettavan usein saa vaikutelman, että analyysit perustuvat enemmänkin pelitaltiointeihin kuin omiin muistijälkiin, niin kauaksi vastustajien ja pelitunnelman erittely jäävät esim. Zlatanin omista tarinoista.
Profile Image for Thejas.
32 reviews10 followers
August 10, 2016
The book has its moments. The descriptions (Wayne) Rooney provides on the background workings of the club and its players in general are fun to read, especially the training scenarios at Carrington. It sheds light into the life of an everyday football superstar's life, although there's nothing original or fresh about it. At many points, I felt "Seen this, read that".

Now to get to the cons:-

Rooney repeats on every single page of this book of his desire to score goals and win matches (for Everton and Manchester United). After a while, I got really tired and it started getting under my skin. I shouted out in my head, to nobody in particular - "OK, I get it. Now quit this non-sense."

The same is the case with him repeating infinitely about his passion for football and the fact that he needs a football to bide away time.You get the gist.

Also he discusses in great detail about his temperament and he manages to bring justification to each and every controversy he has made with a ref. It felt to me as if he wanted to portray this image of "the angry young man" to his audience and gain some sympathy, because after some background checks, I understood that the book was released a few months after his infamous transfer request.

He refers to Sir Alex as "The Manager". Never once in his book is Sir Alex's name mentioned. Show of respect or something else?


PS: Another thing which really pissed me off was him saying indirectly of Messi being better than Ronaldo. I admit. This,last one is a personal vengeance from an avid Ronaldo fan.
Profile Image for Taher.
15 reviews
December 11, 2025
Realistically, I wanted to give this a 3.5 but since half-star ratings are not an option on this platform, I rounded up out of my admiration for Rooney.

I grew up watching him, and he is one of the reasons I fell in love with football. I am glad I finally got around to reading this book, which I have owned for many years. I was already familiar with most of the content since I have followed United for most of my life, but the book still managed to surprise me in a few places.

I would recommend it to any United fan and also to any football fan who is curious about Rooney or appreciated his playing career. Personally, I still think he is underappreciated even after retirement, considering everything he gave on the pitch. At his peak, I believe only Ronaldo and Messi were ahead of him.

That being said, the book is not without flaws. There are some grammatical errors, and at times it felt repetitive. I understand that this might have been done to emphasize aspects of Rooney’s character, but it did affect the flow for me. Another strange choice, at least in my copy was the placement of photos from various high and low points in his career right in the middle of the book. These were thick pages that made the book harder to hold and read comfortably especially since some of the photos refer to events that are only discussed later in the book. I think it would have made more sense to include them at the end.

Overall, I still think this is a good read for the right audience.
3 reviews
Read
June 4, 2013
This book is very inspiring its tells the reader about a great football player called Wayne Rooney. In the first part of the book Wayne is being presented as a youngster entering his first professional club named Everton. He entered this called at the age of only 16 and started to shine at 17. At the second part of the book Rooney was underestimated however one of the biggest clubs had pulled an offer of 14 million pounds that team was Manchester United. Part 3 was his first match with Manchester United was a champions league game his debut was perfect scoring 3 goals and playing at his best. Wayne Rooney turned from a young regular football player into the best midfielder in England over night. Wayne Rooney is now 27 of age still with Manchester United scoring and pushing this team into glory. I love this book for many reasons, it shows inspiration and success, Wayne Rooney for me is a great player and his dreams were fulfilled with all his will power and I admire his attitude very much. I enjoyed reading this book it's a great book for all people who love football and like inspiring books.
Profile Image for Anton.
16 reviews16 followers
February 25, 2013
Name of text:Wayne Rooney My Decade In The Premier League.
Author:Wayne Rooney.
Rating:4 stars.
the category in the book blog bingo board, a diary,Autobiography or Biography.

Plot: this book is about Wayne Rooney's ten years at Manchester united football club and how sad he was about leaving Everton and how good and kind Manchester united and the manger was to him.Wayne talks about how he was feeling in the big important games and background information at training and after games.and life at Manchester and what it is like to be a professional footballer.

Personal response: l really loved this book because l thought Wayne did a awesome job writing this book because l thought Wayne Rooney made the the book really personal like information about his family and wife and l love the premier league and Manchester united so l really like the behind the scene things like the changing rooms and the pitch small things like that.
Profile Image for Aaron.
262 reviews
April 11, 2014
I enjoyed this book for what it was, as a big Rooney/United fan. It's an athlete writing a book, so it is what it is. You know....not exactly Pulitzer prize winning writing. But I enjoyed it. My favorite parts were actually not the in-game stuff (which I would have guessed before I started) but rather the behind the scenes stuff, like what goes on in training and a glimmer into what the locker room is like, and playing under Sir Alex. Also, as an ignorant American I definitely enjoyed all the British lingo that he uses throughout. I love the quirkiness of how they refer to certain things. I find it to be quite charming. I've always loved the English friends I've made over the years. I really need to go there someday. And definitely to Old Trafford. Anyway, this is a quick, easy, fun read for any United fan.
Profile Image for Prashanth Baskaran.
256 reviews2 followers
August 5, 2013
A nice insight into the Premier League from a Man United POV.

Well written at places, but tends to get repetitive if you are not a Man U fan.

And, being a Liverpool fan myself, I enjoyed Steven G's bio better than this book because it contained a lot of gripe against Liverpool. Steven Gerrard didn't write even a word bad about other teams, that is what I'd call respect. Rooney shows his hotheadedness even in his book.

Some of the things like getting "Fergie Time" and decisions in favor of Man U are being polished over by Rooney. But he accepts them nonetheless.

Overall, a good read if you are interested in Man U or Wayne Rooney or if you want to know about Premier League Football from a justifiably biased point of view.
Profile Image for Elize.
21 reviews1 follower
March 31, 2014
I loved this book. Wayne Rooney was never one of my favorites. He portrayed himself to be a rude, obnoxious and unlikeable character however after reading his autobiography I have changed my mind and find him to be driven, totally dedicated to football and a true professional.

Rooney describes his day to day life off and on the pitch candidly and objectively and brings out his feelings and frustrations in such a way that the reader feels them as well.

This is a great motivational book and will teach aspiring young footballers the value of dedication and hard work to achieve their dream.

I recommend this book to kids as well as adults, who are interested in football, no matter what team you support.
7 reviews
September 15, 2013
Wayne Rooney is one of my football icons and to be able to read a book written by him is a great feeling of pride. He speaks about his decade in the EPL from his debut for Everton F.C through to his Premier league title in 2012/13 season. Wayne describes his feelings and memories of his long, professional journey. Reading this book was important to me because I was overseas in Germany at the time, so, some of the tips he recommended i could put into to practise there and then. Overall this book was an enjoyable read and now when I watch Rooney play on TV, i now know how he prepared for the game and what he's thinking of when he is playing.
Profile Image for Satvik Dudeja.
4 reviews5 followers
May 27, 2014
He is honest. That's what I like about the book. An easy read, an honest account of 10 really exciting years in Manchester United's history, when the club went through a huge transition, from the times of the class of 92, to the Rooney-Ronaldo partnership, to where it is now (now being the end of 2012 season, grrrr).
You would definitely love it if you ever admired the work ethic, the commitment and the sheer striking prowess of this player. He seems to be losing some of it off late, thanks according to me, to the time he has spent deep in the midfield. Lets hope we get to see more of the angry, exciting, in-your-face Wayne Rooney in Brazil this year!
4 reviews
November 23, 2015
This book is an autobiography about the decade that wayne Rooney (a professional footballer) has played in the premier league for. I really like this book as it is sort of a timeline as he is writing this over ten years.The book has great insight on where he lived which was a working class suburb of Liverpool called Croxteth. The book shows how hard he worked to get where he is today. The book is a great account of different stories and moments by Englands all time top scorer. I would rate it 9/10 and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in football and Wayne Rooney.
Profile Image for Rohan Ranjan.
38 reviews4 followers
December 4, 2012
Wayne Rooney...
A great read into the mind that's pure football...
It shows his rise as England's last street footballer to Everton and finally Manchester United where he has grown to become the Vital fulcrum that team is built on!!!
Also great insights into why Wayne is so highly regarded as his team mates and his willingness to become better everyday irrespective of how good he is..
Therefore a must read if you know Wayne Rooney an Manchester United!!!
Profile Image for Raj Thilak Chandran.
1 review
May 14, 2013
A well-written book for a Manchester United Fan. The book exposed many inside stories happened on historic days. Lots of information on day to day life @ carrington, after game things and many interesting things for Man Utd fans.

Inspite of all the above, I rated this One-Star. The reason is simple, I read this book on wrong timing. When i finished the book, WR submitted transfer request and wanted to leave Man Utd.
After all, nothing is bigger than Man Utd Club, so just one star.
Profile Image for Surya Ravi.
49 reviews6 followers
December 5, 2013
A must read for all football fans. Rooney has wonderfully captured the essence of the EPL and his writing is crisp and capturing to say the least. Anyone who is an MUFC or Wayne Rooney fan will find the book hard to keep down. Though slow at times, the thrill of being able to connect his writing to the memories of the match that you might have watched live keeps you hooked!

Enjoyed it to the core!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.