Wayne Rooney has signed a new five-and-a-half year contract worth €85m with Manchester United.
The 28 year old striker will earn €363,000 a week following the signing of the most expensive contract in the history of the club. The deal also makes Rooney’s basic salary the biggest in world football as it passes the contracts Cristiano Ronaldo (€17.25m) and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (€14.63m).
Rooney has courted controversy in the past, with potential moves away from the club – to Manchester City and real Madrid – making his position at Old Trafford uncertain for extended periods.
Speaking on the interest from other clubs in signing Rooney, Manchester United manager David Moyes said: "Everybody would want him, you could see the clubs who did want him but there was never a chance he was going to leave Manchester United, certainly not on my watch."
Rooney told his website: “I’m very happy to have signed a new long-term contract with Manchester United. This is one of the biggest clubs in the world and to know that I will be playing here for the majority of my career is something that I’m looking forward to. I’m happy that everything is now finalised and I can carry on concentrating on my football.”
The size of the deal shows how much value United placed on securing the services of Rooney, as the embattled club face the ever growing prospect of missing out on the Champions League next season. The striker admitted he was not concerned by the prospect of committing his long term future to the club when the on the field future, at least in the short term, did not seem to match the recent success of the past.
“I know the direction that this club is going in, and if we don’t make it this season then we will come back stronger and claim a Champions League spot next season. Let’s not forget we still have a chance this year, some of the other teams are playing well but we have a strong squad here and if we have a positive end to the season then who knows what can happen.
“This is a new era for the club, we have a new management team and a great new manager in David Moyes, there has to be some time for change. We have some great players here and despite our recent form everyone has stuck together and the team spirit is still good, we will continue to work hard and get Manchester United to the top where it belongs,” Rooney said.
Moyes told United's website: "I said last July that Wayne has an outstanding chance to be a true legend of this club's long and rich history.”
Rooney has played 430 games for United, scoring 208 goals.
