Wayne Rooney could feature in new Everton-themed Angry Birds game

Rooney could be set to feature in the new Angry Birds game. Credit: PA

Wayne Rooney is already a globally-recognised footballer but the Everton striker could be set for worldwide stardom of a different kind with his potential immortalisation in the Angry Birds online game franchise.

The club expect the new shirt-sleeve sponsorship deal with Rovio, the game's developers, will produce both financial and exposure benefits to boost their profile to unprecedented levels.

The club hope to boost their appeal in a different demographic in key growth markets, particularly the likes of China and the Far East.

One area could see Rooney appear in a Toffees' spin-off version of the massively-popular online game.

"We have a history of doing Angry Bird homages of real-life characters so obviously now we are in collaboration (with Everton) we can work together to bring interesting characters and profiles into the games," said Ville Heijari, Rovio Entertainment's chief marketing officer,

"Potentially Wayne Rooney would be involved. It is not just enough that we reach mobile players; we want to reach sports fans, television spectators, so it is a big audience we are going after."