By Emre Asikci
ISTANBUL (AA) - England's wonderboy Wayne Rooney quit playing football to focus on a managerial role at age 35.
Considered as the greatest English player of his era, Rooney announced his retirement to become the head coach of English second-tier side Derby County.
Rooney started his playing career at Everton as he became the youngest Premier League goal scorer at the age of 16 with a stoppage-time goal over Arsenal in October 2002.
In August 2004, the 16-year-old completed his transfer to Manchester United, becoming the world's most expensive teenager with a £27 million ($36 million) transfer fee.
The Red-Devils' all-time leading goal scorer contributed a considerable portion of his career to his team, playing for the club from 2004 to 2017.
During his 13-year spell in Manchester United, Rooney led the team to clinch five Premier League titles, an FA Cup, four League Cup as he produced 253 goals in 559 games.
In addition to local achievements, he claimed a UEFA Champions League and Europa League title while he was a United player.
- Came up short to win trophy for English national team
Although never having won a trophy with England, Rooney is considered to be one of the best players of his generation and is the record scorer for the English national team as well.
Playing a game at London's Wembley stadium, Rooney became their all-time leading scorer in 2015, netting a penalty against Switzerland.
The superstar retired from international games with his nation in 2018 as England's record goalscorer with 53 in 120 games.
Separately, Rooney also made appearances for the American side D.C. United and England's Derby County.
On Jan. 15, Rooney was appointed as a manager of the Derby County Football Club, signing a two-and-half-year deal with the English club.
Rooney shared a farewell message with his 17.1 million Twitter followers,
"Loved every minute of my playing career but excited to get started in management with a great club in @dcfcofficial. Thanks for all the messages and best wishes, appreciate them all."
Also, The English football association paid tribute to Rooney following his decision to retire from football.
A tweet from the federation read: "A Three Lions legend. Congratulations on a fantastic playing career, Wayne Rooney! Wishing you all the best in management."
The Red Devils congratulated by thanking the legend for the memories at the English club.
"A captain. A goalscorer. A legend. And now, a manager. Happy retirement, Wayne Rooney — thank you for the memories," Manchester United said on Twitter.