Noted soccer author Wayne Rooney has discovered the perils of publishing after being ordered by a UK court to pay £500,000 to his former manager at Everton, David Moyes, over libelous comments made in the England and Manchester United striker’s autobiography ‘My Story So Far.’
Rooney signed a five-book deal with Harper & Collins for £5 million ($10 million), but “My Story So Far.” co-written with Hunter Davies (the author of the excellent Beatles biography “Shout!”) was greeted with universal derision. It turned out that Rooney didn’t have much to say about his life so far other than the revelation that he needs the vacuum cleaner switched on to help him get to sleep. The main question was: how on earth is he going to fill four more books?
Yet Moyes found plenty to cause him offense, and the court agreed. Rooney had accused Moyes in the book of being an overbearing control freak who had been the main cause of the player leaving his boyhood club behind for Manchester United in 2004. Moyes denied the allegations, and issued a statement after the verdict saying: “Anyone who knows me well would, I hope, regard me as a man of honor and integrity. I was disappointed and wanted people to know that what had been written was completely untrue. I felt that I had no choice but to take action for a full apology and damages.” He will donate the money to the Everton Former Players’ Foundation.