Diane Bowe and Stephen Coathup of Prenton, England, welcomed a baby boy in June of 2004 — just as the UEFA Euro 2004 was getting underway.
What did they name their newborn?
Michael Wayne Rooney Coathup, after two of England’s star soccer players: Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.
Diane said:
We are all big Everton fans and it was my son Stephen who persuaded me to include Wayne Rooney in the name.
And with England really going for it in Euro 2004 I thought about the name Michael going with Wayne and decided it sounded good.
Diane and Stephen’s older children, in order, are Darren (13), Stephen Jr. (11), Jemma (10), twins Chelsea and Jessica (5), and Amy (3).
Sources:
- “A Wayne in the manger.” Liverpool Echo 17 Jun. 2004.
- EUFA Euro 2004 – Wikipedia
Image: Adapted from Portugal 2-3 Denmark, Football by José Goulão under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Woah, out of all of the players in our national team, I would never have pinned Rooney as being a potential namesake, although he is a talented player.