Rooney turns 21 Tuesday and the jury's still out on how good _ or disappointing _ the England and Manchester United striker will be.

The pug-faced son of an amateur boxer has been making headlines for four years since he scored a spectacular Premier League goal at age 16.

Playing for Everton in October 2002 against an Arsenal team that had not lost in 30 games, Rooney collected the ball on the left side, pushed it into space 10 yards outside the penalty area and launched a shot that flew into the roof of the net with such power and accuracy that even a goalkeeper with the experience of David Seaman had no chance of getting his hands on it.

It was one of those ``wow'' moments associated with the kings of the game, such as Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo or Ronaldinho.

If Rooney had the ability to score goals like that as a raw teenager, what would he be like at 26? Four years later, no one knows.

Sadly for those hoping his arrival would lift soccer's ailing image, the other side of Rooney wasn't far behind that sensational goal.

Two months later, he became the youngest player sent off in a Premier League game when he was ejected for a lunging tackle on Birmingham defender Steve Vickers. The same day, his record as the league's youngest scorer was beaten _ by 72 days _ by Leeds United's James Milner.

The problem with Rooney is that running alongside his rich talent is a bubbling, volcanic temper that frequently boils over.

Playing for England in a 1-0 upset loss to Northern Ireland, his rage erupted after he was shown a yellow card, ruling him out of the next qualifying game for the 2006 World Cup. When England captain David Beckham tried to calm him, Rooney responded with a stream of expletives. Other red cards would follow.

Rooney has acknowledged his explosiveness and says he is doing his best to contain it. But a low-key Rooney isn't necessarily much use on the field.

Rooney needs that fire to light his talent. And there's plenty of that.

After transferring from Everton in 2004, Rooney marked his debut for Manchester United and first appearance in the Champions League by scoring three times in a 6-2 victory over the Turkish club Fenerbahce. He scored on excellent volleys against Middlesbrough and Newcastle in the same season when almost all his goals seemed candidates for awards.

At the start of last season, Rooney appeared to be playing better than ever, scoring regularly and setting up goals for Manchester United teammates.

He showed his full repertoire of talent _ dribbling past defenders, shooting from long range, winning balls in the air, finding teammates with passes from all parts of the field and chasing back and tackling.

But Rooney is far from the perfect article and has shown he has problems getting his form back after long, frustrating spells on the sidelines.

When he broke a bone in his foot near the end of last season, Rooney's chances of playing at the World Cup were thrown into doubt.

Although the bone healed quicker than expected, he was rushed back into training as the team left for Germany. When he was sent to play, he clearly was not sharp.

So much was expected of Rooney, especially with England struggling and eking out victories over modest teams such as Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago and Ecuador.

When it came for Rooney to perform well in the quarter-final against Portugal, he was a big letdown. After struggling for 62 minutes, he was sent off for stepping on the groin of Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho, ending his World Cup.

Although he scored twice in Manchester United's 5-1 victory over Fulham on the opening day of this season, Rooney was sidelined by suspensions.

When he returned, his form didn't. All the tricks, passes and dribbles Rooney once found so easy just didn't happen.

He hasn't scored for United in 10 games since the start of the season, and hasn't scored in a competitive game for England since the Euro 2004 quarter-final.

Although he's looked better in United's last two games, he still hasn't scored, and that seems to be preying on his mind.

The longer he goes without scoring, the longer Manchester United goes without winning the Premier or Champions Leagues, the longer England goes without a title, the more frustrated Rooney will become.

As his talent battles with his temper, there's no guarantee which one will emerge the winner.