Wayne Rooney throws bucket of water over wife Coleen as Manchester United captain's wife takes on the Ice Bucket Challenge, and nominates Piers Morgan

• Wayne Rooney drenched his wife Coleen as part of the Ice Bucket Challenge
• Coleen Rooney nominated journalist Piers Morgan and friend Sheree Murphy
• Wayne can be seen sneaking up on his wife as she introduces the challenge
• The Manchester United striker's wife was nominated by Rooney's former England team-mate Shaun Wright-Phillips
• As part of the craze, Manchester United midfielder Anderson nominated former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson

Coleen's fun didn't stop there, however, with Wayne completely letting go of the bucket which came crashing down on her head.

The ice bucket challenge, social media’s latest craze, is designed to raise money and awareness for the neurodegenerative illness ALS - better known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Anyone taking on the challenge has to nominate someone else to do the same - who then must take it on within 24 hours.

Some of football's top players - including Neymar, Lionel Messi and John Terry have already taken on the freezing feat.

The ALS association has seen a huge raise in donations - £9.4million compared with £30,000 in the same period last year - since the campaign went viral.

Rooney wasn't the only Old Trafford star to make an appearance in an ice bucket challenge video on Wednesday.

Out-of-favour midfielder Anderson got soaked at the club's Carrington training ground - and nominated legendary former boss Sir Alex Ferguson to be next up. 

United's Mexican striker Javier Hernandez has also got in on the act, and he nominated team-mate Juan Mata and Espanyol's Hector Moreno. 

Over in Holland, the whole Ajax team took part in the challenge together, including the Red Devils' target Daley Blind. 

SO, WHAT IS THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE? 

The choice is very simple. You either stand or sit there while some very kind and willing assistants pour a big container of ice water over your head, or you make a donation to an ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) charity.

The whole thing is filmed and once the 'victim' has recovered from the icy shock, they nominate someone else to take the challenge.

Once nominated, the person has 24 hours to do the same thing and post the evidence on social media like Twitter, Facebook or YouTube to prove they've gone through with it.

Most celebrities have gone through with the challenge but some, like Charlie Sheen, have chosen to donate money instead.

What is ALS?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the term used in the United States to describe Motor Neurone Disease (MND), which affects a person's ability to move voluntarily.

While the person continues to think and feel, they are often unable to walk, eat or talk, leaving them effectively 'locked in' to their body.

It is estimated about 5,000 people in the United Kingdom suffer from MND and half of those diagnosed will die within the first 14 months of knowing they have it.

There is no known cure at present.

How did the craze start?

In the States, when Chris Kennedy, a golfer from Sarasota in Florida, was nominated by a friend to participate in an ice bucket challenge similar to the one screened live on-air by programme Golf Channel Morning.

Kennedy was the first to associate the challenge with ALS because he has a relative suffering from the disease and his video was posted back on July 15.

Soon his friends were all doing it and using the hashtag #StrikeOutALS and it started to go viral when former professional baseball player Pete Frates took part.

By the end of July, the ALS Association reported a dramatic rise in donations and the campaign has been gaining more and more popularity ever since.

What impact is the campaign having?

A very positive one. The ALS Association has seen a huge rise in donations - £9.4m compared with £30,000 in the same period last year - since the campaign went viral.

The Motor Neurone Disease Association reported on Tuesday that is had raised £4,000 from text message donations since the campaign took off in the UK.

Smaller associated charities have also reported a surge in donations.

Who has taken part?

Celebrities the world over have volunteered to have the ice water thrown over them.

Footballers including Neymar, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and John Terry have taken part, as have sports stars Usain Bolt, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and Rory McIlroy to name but a few.

Among other famous folk to have taken part are Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, Mark Zuckerberg and Justin Bieber.

Many have injected an element of humour into their 'dunkings', helping rack up millions of views on YouTube and other sites.

Thousands of ordinary people have also done their bit, including the 200 who met in Boston's Copley Sqaure to dump water on each other on August 7.