England Goes Search Crazy for Information on Rooney Fitness

Adjust font size:

A Nation’s Hope Drives Rooney to Top of Yahoo!’s
Most Searched for England Players - Ahead of Beckham   

The tantalising news about the state of Wayne Rooney’s fitness ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup led to a huge surge in users on Yahoo! Search looking for details on his recovery on Friday 26th May.

Wayne Rooney’s popularity on Yahoo! Search shot up on May 26th thanks to a significant increase in searches on his name as the scan results on his foot injury were made public. Search levels were even higher on April 30th, the date of the previous Rooney-mania scramble for information when he sustained his injury playing for Manchester United at Chelsea.

Searches for Wayne Rooney surpassed even those of his world famous international colleague, England captain David Beckham, over the last month. Interest in England’s World Cup squad has risen steadily over the last month as the tournament nears, with the three most popular players being Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and FA Cup final hero Steven Gerrard. Surprise squad inclusion Theo Walcott is notable for his fourth-placed position, bursting into the Yahoo! Search rankings in the same manner that he has stormed into Sven-Goran Eriksson’s World Cup plans.

Andy Williams, Senior Search Content Producer, Yahoo! UK and Ireland, commented: “A sharp rise in Yahoo! searches for news about Rooney was no coincidence as the hopes of the nation rest on the condition of his broken foot. The national interest in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the England team, and the recuperating Rooney in particular is phenomenal.”

With Rooney's participation in the tournament seen by many to be key to England's chances of winning the World Cup for the first time since 1966, the results of another scan on 7th June are likely to lead to another online rush for news on Yahoo!
 
Top 10 Most Searched for England Players on Yahoo! UK & Ireland Search in the 30 days to 26.05.06

1. Wayne Rooney
2. David Beckham
3. Steven Gerrard
4. Theo Walcott
5. Frank Lampard
6. John Terry
7. Michael Owen
8. Joe Cole
9. Rio Ferdinand
10. Ashley Cole 

The FIFA World Cup is the world’s most popular sporting event and Yahoo! has created the ultimate destination for consumers and fans that will enhance their FIFA World Cup experience: FIFAworldcup.com