Wayne Rooney has revealed how he was 'slapped' by his father during a tough childhood which saw him 'brought up to fight for everything'.
The former England captain also admitted in a candid new documentary that he 'weren't the nicest kid' and 'had a lot of fights when I was younger', including with his own father.
The 'slaps' he suffered at home and his fighting on the streets of Croxteth in Liverpool forged Rooney's notoriously hard playing style, which repeatedly saw him sent off for impulsive violent acts on the pitch, including stamping on the genitals of Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho in the 2006 World Cup quarter-final.
Rooney's dad, Thomas, is asked in the film whether he had 'a switch' - suggesting a moment where he would lose control and become violent - to which he replies: 'Yeah, more than likely.'
Gary Neville, who played with Rooney for club and country, also admits that he saw Rooney throwing punches.
Rooney burst into the Premier League with Everton aged just 16 in 2002 and instantly wowed the country with his once-in-a-generation talent - and aggressive physicality - and consequently lived his entire adult life under intense public scrutiny. He went on to become a legend for Manchester United and England, captaining both as his fiery temperament became calmer in the latter part of his playing career.
Now the manager of crisis-stricken Derby County, Rooney, 35, has opened up about those early years growing up in the notorious area of Croxteth, where he developed his extraordinary skills and fighting spirit.
Wayne Rooney has opened up on his tough childhood in a new documentary on his life
Rooney admits that his father, Thomas (right), used to 'give me a slap'; a young Rooney is pictured swearing to the camera (left) during his childhood in Croxteth, Liverpool
In a trailer for the film Rooney is seen boxing in his garage, reflecting his fighting spirit
In the new documentary, which will be available on Amazon Prime Video early next year, Rooney himself and some of the biggest names in the game, including Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand, have given their verdict on the hard but genius player who graced the English top flight for 16 years.
'I was brought up to fight for my place to play, fight for everything. That will never leave me,' says Rooney.
'The area I grew up, Croxteth, if you are from there you don't feel it is a violent place.'
Croxteth has hit the national headlines for drugs, guns and killings many times, culminating in the appalling murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was shot dead in 2007 as he walked home from football training.
Rooney scored his first Premier League goal aged just 16 against Arsenal in October 2002
He went on to become a Manchester United legend, and their leading goalscorer ever
Rooney also became the best English player of his generation, winning 120 international caps
It was on these streets that Rooney learned to play and to stand up for himself. It was a combination that made for an irresistible force on the pitch, possessing finesse and ferocity in equal measure
'You looked at him, you knew he wanted to destroy everything that was in front of him,' says Thierry Henry, himself a legend after scoring 228 goals for Arsenal in all competitions.
The film has been directed by Matt Smith, who was also behind the Bafta award-winning BBC production, Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad, and the feature-length documentary, David Beckham: For the Love of The Game.
In this latest work,
