Growing up as the son of Manchester United great Wayne Rooney can’t be easy but being Kai Rooney’s dad can apparently be tough sometimes too. That’s after the Carrington prospect omitted his dad from the billing when naming his two greatest inspirations.
Rooney Jr, whose season was recently ended by injury, is currently making his way through the ranks at the club where his dad remains the all-time top scorer to this day. Kai, 16, has scored two goals and recorded one assist in six under-18 Premier League outings this term and is building a wave of expectation as he looks to follow his dad’s glittering career. However, the teenager neglected to pick his own dad when selecting his favourite players of all time. In fact, he preferred two of Rooney Sr’s biggest attacking rivals from around the period he was in his pomp.
“I liked [Thierry] Henry. He was good. Pace, strength, shooting, everything,” Kai told Lovell Soccer in 2024. “And [Didier] Drogba as well. Them two are probably my favourites.”
It may irk Rooney Sr just slightly to name Arsenal icon Henry and Chelsea legend Drogba as the two players after whom his eldest son models his game on. On the other hand, he named two Premier League forwards of the highest quality, either of whom his dad would likely agree are fine idols to have.
His family lineage means Rooney Jr will always be lumped with a pressure to perform most don’t have to deal with. However, it’s clear his dad has helped instil a strong sense of self-awareness and humility despite any privilege he’ll benefit from.
“I am just focusing on me. I am trying to make a name for myself,” he continued. “I am not trying to be my dad, because I am my own person and I want to see how far [my] career goes. Obviously, (I will) try and be the best I can and try reach the biggest stages.
“But I am just focusing on me and trying not to let any pressure get to me. Keep working on me day by day, month by month, and try to make myself better.”
By Kai’s age, dad Wayne had already broken into the senior ranks at Everton and was playing senior football under David Moyes. It wasn’t long before he earned a big-money move to Old Trafford, where he enjoyed an iconic career in red.
His progeny is now looking to mimic that success while skipping the first step after going straight into United’s ranks. And he’s withstanding the pressure just fine so far amid some very encouraging murmurs out of Carrington.