Wayne Rooney is an athlete.
Association football , more commonly known as football or soccer , is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball . Forwards are the players on an association football team who play nearest to the opposing team 's goal , and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals . Wayne Mark Rooney ( [ ˈruːni ] born 24 October 1985 ) is an English professional footballer who plays for and captains both Manchester United and the England national team . He has played much of his career as a forward , and he has also been used in various midfield roles .