What honour did British footballer Wayne Rooney earn for the year 2002?

Wayne Rooney earned the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year honour for 2002.

Rooney was 17 when he received the award, after a breakthrough year with Everton. He became the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer at the time and attracted national attention by scoring a dramatic long-range winner against Arsenal in October 2002, ending Arsenal’s 30-match unbeaten Premier League run.

The award was separate from the main BBC Sports Personality of the Year prize, which went to athlete Paula Radcliffe in 2002. Rooney’s honour recognized the country’s leading young sportsperson and helped establish him as one of English football’s most promising talents.

He later became one of England’s most prolific scorers and Manchester United’s record goalscorer. The award is sometimes shortened to “Young Sports Personality,” but its full name was BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.