Manchester United strike Wayne Rooney has spoken of his pride at
wearing the club's coveted No 10 shirt.
"Ten has always been my favourite number," he told Inside United
magazine.
"When Ruud left and no-one took it the following season I asked the
manager and David Gill if I could have the shirt.
"I had to wait a year until the new kit came out but as soon as
that happened I was given the shirt which was great."
Rooney follows in the footsteps of United legends like Denis Law,
Mark Hughes and Nistelrooy.
Rooney said: "They were all great players who scored so many goals
for the club so I knew what a big number it was for me to
take.
"But that history makes wearing the shirt feel even better and also
makes it more of a challenge to succeed.
"I always keep my first shirt of every new season so I've got the
first No. 10 I wore against Chelsea in the Community Shield up at
home."
The Old Trafford goal-getter also recognises the other world class
players who've worn the shirt, Puskas, Pele, Platini, Maradona,
Baggio, Zidane and Ronaldinho.
"It's definitely been an important number down the years. It's
probably more of a traditional number in South America for the best
players to wear No 10 compared to here and when you look at the
players who have worn it, it feels great to have the number.
"Hopefully when I've finished people will look back and say the
same thing about me."
While he was younger, it was Liverpool's No 10, Michael Owen who
caught his eye.
"Michael Owen is probably the No.10 I remember watching the most.
Even though he played for Liverpool, I still always enjoyed
watching him," he told the magazine.
Rooney singles out Pele and Maradona as two of his greatest
idols.
He said of Pele: "I've watched lots of videos of him and you can
see what a brilliant footballer he was. He had two great feet, was
strong in the air and also a very good athlete. He's rightly up
there as one of the best players of all time."
Of Maradona, he says: "He's definitely the best player there's ever
been in my eyes. He had pace, great skill and an unbelievable
desire to win."
Former Old Trafford legend Denis Law finally presented Rooney with
his No 10 shirt.
He said: He was an unbelievable player, who scored so many goals
for the club and for him to hand the shirt over to me was a real
honour.
He was a player who could score any kind of goal. He wasn't the
tallest but he was very good in the air. He was also a very brave
player and a real goal poacher inside the box.
Rooney says he changed the way he plays this season moving further
up front rather than behind the main striker and he credits team
mate Carlos Tevez with helping him.
I'd probably say I've enjoyed that role more as you seem to get
more chances and hopefully that means I'll end up with more
goals.
He's a great player and he's done really well since he joined the
club and I think we're working well together. I think our
partnership proves that all good players can play together no mater
how similar you are.