He was once the first name on the team sheet on the way to collecting regular silverware for his club, becoming England's record goalscorer and being appointed captain at Old Trafford and for his country.
Rooney, 31 on 24 October, has suffered his latest dramatic decline in status after he was left out by England interim manager Gareth Southgate for the World Cup qualifier in Slovenia, less than a month after suffering a similar fate at United.
He has been one of British football's most significant and influential figures since emerging as a 16-year-old at Everton in 2002 - but are we now reaching the end of the Rooney era?
Rooney's defiant and measured response to his exclusion holds the key to this question, while England and Southgate will be well aware of the dangers of discarding the man who has scored an outstanding 53 goals in 117 appearances for his country.
He is moving increasingly to the margins but it was only in June that then England manager Roy Hodgson was lambasted for leaving Rooney out as one of six changes for the Euro 2016 game against Slovakia.
It was Rooney's exclusion that drew the most intense scrutiny aroundEngland's 0-0 draw, a damaging result when victory would have ensured they topped Group B.
Rooney is widely respected within England's squad, not just as a player but as character and leader. He has developed into a mature spokesman and is regarded as a superb influence, especially with younger players.
And for all his struggles and falling away from the brilliance that made his name, he has not declined to the point where he should be ditched completely from a squad still in recovery from the fiasco of Euro 2016, when England were knocked out in the last 16 by minnows Iceland.
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