Interesting to see that "King" Kenny Dalglish and Freddie Shepherd are involved with this dodgy bunch

When Wayne Rooney *celebrates his 25th birthday this weekend at a party in a marquee in the grounds of his £4.5million Cheshire *mansion, the champagne will taste sweeter than ever.

For yesterday, he emerged the victor in a titanic power struggle with Manchester United, with a new five-year contract that will see his pay packet soar by £100,000 a week and boost his basic salary to more than £10million a year.

Behind the scenes, however, the man pulling the strings in this incredible act of brinkmanship was the silver-haired puppet master who shapes his every decision, his agent Paul Stretford.

For it was Stretford, 52, a one-time vacuum cleaner salesman who rose to become one of the most ruthless power-players in soccer, who took on United’s top brass and Sir Alex Ferguson - the game’s most fearsome manager.

According to insiders, Stretford will pocket a huge chunk of Rooney’s pay rise over the five years of his contract and may receive a one-off bonus for sealing the new deal, pushing his cut towards £10million.

So who is Paul Stretford, and how has he risen to a position of such influence in Rooney’s life?

For eight years, since Stretford won control of Rooney’s affairs after a murky power struggle that ended in a blackmail case and allegedly involved one of Britain’s most notorious gangland figures (more of which later), these questions have gnawed away.

But last night they took on a more pressing significance.

Rooney may hail from a close-knit Liverpool family, but according to his biographer, Hunter Davies, Stretford is ‘the most important man in his life’. He also handles the business *portfolio of the star’s wife, Coleen, and last summer, when Stretford took a new bride, the Rooneys were honoured guests at the ceremony.

At Rooney’s £5million wedding on the *Italian Riviera two years ago, Stretford gave a speech, swigging from a bottle of lager. He was at Rooney’s stag night and, on Monday, as news of the player’s decision to quit United reverberated around the football world, he was on a Cheshire golf course with his charge. It was clear Stretford was calling all the shots. ..........................................................................


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