| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Richard Rooney | ||
| Date of birth | 17 December 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Free Agent | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2002 | Everton | ||
| 2002–2008 | Macclesfield Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2010 | Macclesfield Town | 41 | (3) |
| 2011 | New York Red Bulls | 5 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 September 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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John Richard Rooney (born 17 December 1990 in Liverpool, Merseyside) is an English footballer.
He is the younger brother of Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney. Although born in England, Rooney has expressed a desire to represent the Republic of Ireland at the international level.[2]
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John Rooney was born in Croxteth, Liverpool to Thomas Wayne and Jeanette Maria Rooney (née Morrey). He is of Irish descent and was brought up in Croxteth with older brothers Graeme and Wayne; all three attended De La Salle School.
John Rooney started at the Everton F.C. Youth Academy at the age of six.[3] After spending six years there, he was released by the club.
John Rooney moved to Macclesfield Town in 2002, where he signed professional terms on 14 July 2008, 4 months after his professional debut against Barnet on 24 March 2008.[4] His first ever career goal came against Dagenham & Redbridge in a 2–1 loss on 28 March 2009.
With John Rooney's Macclesfield contract due to expire at the end of the 2009-10 season, he was linked with a move away to Championship side Derby County and went on a week-long trial at Pride Park in February 2010.[5] The original intention was for Rooney to play a part in Derby County Reserves match against Sheffield United reserves but the match was postponed due to weather conditions. Derby manager Nigel Clough was impressed with Rooney, saying "He has looked OK in training. We can see he has got something" and stating a desire to bring Rooney back on a second trial to play him in the club's next reserve fixture against Sheffield Wednesday.[6]
Rooney was offered a trial with Huddersfield Town, and has linked up for pre-season training with The Terriers, and had a 45 minute run out in a 5-0 friendly win at AFC Emley on the 9 July 2010. Huddersfield manager Lee Clark who also has Australian midfielder Calum Hare on trial said "We are having a look at both of them. They will play two or three pre-season games, and be given a good opportunity to earn a contract."[7] On the 19 July 2010 it was confirmed by Huddersfield manager Lee Clark that Rooney would not be offered a contract.[8]
Rooney went on trial with the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer in Fall 2010. The trial was to enter the next Major League Soccer draft, however, and not for a contract with Seattle Sounders FC, who had no option on his rights.[9] After a one-week trial, he had another trial at MLS debutant club Portland Timbers. Rooney signed with Major League Soccer on 28 December 2010 and played at the 2011 MLS Combine in Florida with the view of being selected in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by one of the eighteen clubs in MLS.[10]
On 13 January 2011, Rooney was selected in the second round of the MLS draft by the New York Red Bulls.[11] He made his debut for the club on 16 April 2011 as an 89th minute substitute in a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at Red Bull Arena.[12] On 28 June 2011 in his first start for New York, Rooney scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 victory over FC New York in the US Open Cup.[13]
Rooney was waived by New York on November 23, 2011.[14]
| Club | Season | Football League Two | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | Appyu76t | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Macclesfield Town |
2007-08 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 |
| 2008-09 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 16 | 1 | |
| 2009-10 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 2 | |
| Club Total | 41 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 45 | 3 | |
| Club | Season | MLS | US Open Cup | MLS Cup | CONCACAF | Total | |||||
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| New York Red Bulls |
2011 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 7 | 1 |
| Club Total | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 7 | 1 | |
| Career totals | 46 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 52 | 4 | |