It was on Saturday, October 19, 2002, when Wayne Rooney introduced himself to the world.
At just the ninth attempt, the Croxteth product, at the tender age of just 16 years, 11 months and 25 days, scored his first-ever Premier League goal, becoming, at the time, the division's youngest-ever goalscorer. It was a strike that sealed his boyhood club, Everton, a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Goodison Park, ending the Gunners' 30-match unbeaten run in the process.
As Clive Tyldesley, who was on the Goodison gantry, echoed 'Remember the name, Wayne Rooney', the boyhood Toffee was mobbed by his teammates, who were no doubt mesmerised by the quality of the strike they had just witnessed from someone who was not even yet old enough to legally drink. It was a stunning hit, one that signalled the beginning of a six-match winning run in the league for the Toffees.
