The Manchester United and England striker, along with his wife Coleen, were being sued for millions in commission payments by his former sports management firm in a long-running contracts dispute - but a judge ruled today that he must only pay £5,000 and his wife around £90,000.

And Proactive, which brought the case against the player, was left facing legal bills of up to £500,000, according to Rooney's lawyers.

Rooney followed the case at Manchester Mercantile Court from Barbados where he is on holiday.

Following the judgment in his favour, Rooney issued a statement.

He said: "I am delighted to have won this case.

"Coleen and I have always been happy to pay all commissions due to the people who were owed them.

"But these sums were a joke and we felt they were just an attempt to exploit us.

"Fortunately, the judge has knocked back their massively over-inflated claims and we are happy to pay the very small sum awarded.

"Going to court was the last thing I wanted to do.

"But you always have to fight for what's right in life and that's why we contested it.

"Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank my Mum and Dad for their help, support and values they have given me."

Rooney, 24, was signed by football agent Paul Stretford for Proactive, a founder and director of the firm, in 2002 as the teenage prodigy became the hottest property in football.

Rooney, then 17, went from £80-a-week Everton trainee living in his parent's council house in Croxteth, Liverpool, to a household name, signing multi-million pound sponsorship deals, brokered by Mr Stretford, with the likes of Nike and Coca-Cola.

But he made no more commission payments on the deals after Mr Stretford left the firm in acrimony in October 2008, taking with him their star client.

Proactive had argued that, as such contracts for Rooney and his wife Coleen were brokered by Stretford while he was still at the firm, it was still due the 20% commission - amounting to £4.3 million.

But following a three-week trial in February, Judge Brendan Hegarty QC, who postponed giving his ruling until after the World Cup, handed down his judgment backing the Rooneys.

In a 195-page ruling, he said Proactive's 2003 contract with the then 17-year-old player, called an image rights representation agreement, was "unenforceable".

He said the original contract amounted to a "restraint of trade" as it was up to eight years long when the Football Association recommended a maximum of two years.

It also said it gave Rooney no right to terminate before the eight-year expiry date.

And he added that Proactive's contract had been drawn up by lawyers, while Rooney and his parents were "unsophisticated" in such matters and had not taken independent legal advice before putting pen to paper so there was an "imbalance" in bargaining power between the sides.

Judge Hegarty told the court the contract imposed "very substantial restraints upon Rooney's freedom to exploit his earning ability over a very long period of time on terms which were not commonplace in the market and which were not the outcome of commercial negotiation between equals".

He ruled that Proactive was only entitled to a "restitutional remedy" from the Rooneys for management services amounting to around £95,000.

Outside court, Mr Stretford said: "I have spoken to Wayne and he is as joyous as you can imagine."

He said the footballer "feels as though he did the right thing and stood up for himself.

"And I think that's what you all feel, that Wayne Rooney always stands up for himself.

"I am saddened that such a case came to court. These are people I have worked alongside previously who have earnt the best part of £2million out of Wayne previously."

Ian Mill QC, representing Proactive, told the court the company would consider taking the matter to the Court of Appeal.

Proactive said in a statement that it was left with no choice but to bring the lawsuit against the Rooneys.

It said: "Following years of successful and harmonious representation of Mr and Mrs Rooney, it was highly regrettable that the decision by Mr and Mrs Rooney and their companies to refuse to pay outstanding invoices and to claim back sums which they had previously paid, left Proactive Sports Management Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Formation Group plc, with no practical choice but to bring these proceedings.

"It will continue to take all appropriate steps to ensure that it receives proper and reasonable recompense for its successful endeavours in representing Mr and Mrs Rooney and their companies over many years."