Rooney

It's not often my wife suggests we watch anything related to football but she especially asked to watch this documentary on the Everton, Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney. The all-time top scorer for both United and his country, Rooney, now the manager of struggling Championship side Derby County has simultaneously released both this film and his autobiography but my wife's interest is much less in his glittering football career than in his chequered personal life and of course, in particular his well-publicised marriage to his childhood sweetheart Coleen. She, as I write, is embroiled in a very public court case against her fellow "WAG" (tabloid-press shorthand for "Wives and Girlfriends", the name given to the highly-publicised assorted group of women who accompanied their England international hubbies and boyfriends to a major tournament) Rebekah Vardy, the wife of Rooney's fellow-striker Jamie Vardy, wittily termed the "Wagatha Christie War" and is an important presence in this film which if not quite a warts-and-all portrait of Roo, at least asks both him and her pointed questions about aspects of his personal behaviour, particularly concerning alcohol and prostitutes.

Before all that, we are presented with his back story as a working-class kid who was frequently in trouble even before he became a teenager. The saving of him was his undoubted football talent which saw him quickly signed up by his local team Everton where he broke through to the first team aged only 16 and announce himself in his first match against then champions Arsenal by scoring the stunning winning goal against them after coming on as a substitute. Within a couple more years he was playing for England and had signed for Manchester United in a record transfer deal, sealing his position as a world-class player with a hat-trick in his debut match for United in a Champions League match and then excelling in his first big tournament for England, the 2002 Euros.

Intermittent injuries and erratic behaviour in his personal life arguably blighted his legacy in the game but even though he won several honours with United, such as the Champions League, World Club Championship and several Premier League titles, the pundits' verdict on his career is that he somehow never quite achieved the recognition as a football legend that contemporaries like Ronaldo and Messi did. His indomitable will-to-win is shown in revelations that he deliberately injured Chelsea captain (and fellow England teammate) John Terry, after the Blues had the temerity to rock up under new manager Jose Mourinho to take United's title and hiding a training injury sustained during a major tournament from the England manager Eriksson.

Here, he gets the chance to state his case. He's honest about his past indiscretions both on an off the field, sitting quietly next to his presumably long-suffering wife as she offers something short of forgiveness on her side for the pain he's put her through. Today though, they seem reconciled as they move together into a fantastic luxury house and plays with their young children. He remembers the tough love and support he got from his family growing up, especially from his mother and now deceased grandmother. Naturally there are testimonies from past teammates such as Gary Neville, David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand as well as past rivals like Thierry Henry and his England manager Goran-Eriksson but strangely nothing from his most famous team-mate Ronaldo or his legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Still, the picture emerges of a 100% football man, still involved in the game, and more at peace now with himself. The hope is that he can settle down to enjoy the considerable fruits of his labours and settle down into family life. After watching this admittedly soft-focus take on his life and career to date, I wish him well on his continuing twin journeys inside and outside football.

Came in expecting the usual conceited and exaggerated hubris associated with biopics. Wazza happens to be my childhood hero so I wasn't going to mind at all. Boy was I in for a delightful perturbation. The movie doesn't shy away from Wayne's shortcomings as a teammate, professional, role model and most importantly, family man. Its incredulous the amount of scenes where Colleen and Wayne are both visibly uncomfortable not shying away from invasive probing about the cheating and escort scandals. To give context, on social media there's a running joke about Wayne 's affairs occurring annually. Looking from the outside, it feels as though Wayne is making a last ditch attempt to rectify his somewhat tarnished image. He emphasises his discontent with his actions before candidly expressing the desire to be viewed "as a good person." His transgressions are largely attributed to alcohol abuse and unwholesome peer pressure. Rooney fans will no doubt glee as we peer the lenses on his parenting style. Insightful revelations on the origin of Wayne's bullish and passionate approach to football will put you on the edge of your seat. The admiration from legendary rivals such as Thierry Henry and Jose Mourinho exemplify the immensity of Wazza's legacy. Former England coach, Sven-Goran Eriksson finding out on camera how a 21 year-old Wayne Rooney played through a 6-inch groin tear after recovering from the infamous metatarsal injury at the 2006 world cup epitomises the compulsion to succeed for the Three Lions. Avid fans of English football will find themselves in reverence awe as football royalties David Beckham. Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville recollect early impressions of young Wazza. Although the production addresses an abundance of relevant career related questions, it does exclude one pivotal question. Is Wayne really satisfied? Does he feel he could've handled himself differently and possibly achieved more? Does the former teenage phenom regret not winning a Ballon d'Or? Does he regret routinely arriving to training camps overweight and out shape? Does he regret not living a healthier lifestyle and reaching the longevity of contemporaries such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Despite being Manchester United's greatest goal scorer, is Wayne Rooney at peace with his INDIVIDUAL career? Ultimately the theme of the movie is Wazza's dedication to being the greatest TEAM player ever. Fans can reasonably conclude individual accolades probably have no substance in his path to self-actualisation. Strong recommend for football fans.

Scouse lad likes to kick things a lot you know it's not the most original story ever but my do I love the accent. Really big fan of the graphic effects and recreations, looked impressive and how they got whole crowds in there too - crazy! So yeah overall a good sports fiction flick, with some weird tabloid romance drama thrown in.

Absolute merkage from Rio.

I very seldom write reviews on anything I watch, but after finishing this documentary, I had to. Wayne Rooney is the player that made me love football and made me love Manchester United. This documentary was a great insight into the career of the ultimate team player.

Kudos to the team for the way they approached the sensitive and controversial part of his story and didn't shy away from them. It was fascinating to see what was rooney thinking in the important moments of his career. Loved the scenes with his wife and their little boys.

The sound design is the ultimate MVP of the documentary in my opinion. The use of music and even commentary during the football scenes are so well handled. Congratulations to the director and rest of the team for this treat for all football fans.

Regardless of whatever club you support, this is a good watch. For United fans, this one's a must-watch. Well shot too, but you expect that from the football videos that Prime's been putting out lately.