Wayne Rooney Reflects on Career Moves and Musical Challenges
Wayne Rooney received an unexpected phone call from Paul Scholes enticing him to join Manchester United during his teenage years.
In the latest episode of his podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain discussed his transition to United, his near move to Newcastle, and interest from international clubs.
"While I was still at Everton, I was at home one night watching Coronation Street when my house phone rang. I answered, and it was Paul Scholes. He said, 'Wazza, it’s Scholesy… are you going to sign for us or what?' I was taken aback, thinking, 'What’s going on here?'" Rooney recalled.
Rooney officially joined Manchester United from Everton in 2004 at the age of 18, although he mentioned that manager Sir Alex Ferguson would have preferred to wait another year to sign him.
The urgency arose as Newcastle United was also pursuing him, and Rooney indicated that he would have joined them if United had not acted swiftly.
"Honestly, I think Alex Ferguson wanted to wait another year. Newcastle kept coming in, and I would have gone there if United hadn’t signed me at that time," he explained.
Rooney recounted the emotional moment when Everton chairman Bill Kenwright hesitated to finalize the transfer, even involving his mother in a phone call while he was at Old Trafford.
"It got to the last day, and Bill, God rest him, was very emotional. Being a local lad from Liverpool playing for Everton was significant. He actually got on the phone, put his mum on the line, and then he was crying down the phone," Rooney said.
He joined United on transfer deadline day, and the process was so rushed that he ended up wearing his wife Coleen’s cousin’s jumper during the signing.
"I was quite relaxed despite the media frenzy around me. I was staying at Coleen’s uncle’s house in Liverpool, and the night before deadline day, we had a Chinese dinner with a few glasses of wine. I didn’t have any clothes there, so I signed for Manchester United in Coleen’s cousin’s jumper! It shows how prepared I was for it," he noted.
Rooney Was 'Very Close' to Joining Chelsea
In addition to Newcastle, Rooney was also on the verge of moving to Chelsea.
However, a significant obstacle arose when Chelsea proposed to send him on loan to Middlesbrough, which he found unacceptable.
"During the Euro 2004 tournament, Everton had agreed to a deal with Chelsea for me to join them, and I was completely unaware. My agent spoke with Roman Abramovich and his team, who wanted me but planned to send me out on loan to Middlesbrough. I thought, 'No chance!'" Rooney stated.
He added, "Going to London at that time didn’t make sense to me. Once I learned Manchester United was interested, that was the only place I wanted to go."
In 2013, Chelsea attempted to sign Rooney from United, offering players like Fernando Torres and Ramires as part of the deal, but they could not meet the asking price. Rooney revealed he was "very close" to joining José Mourinho’s side.
"I think United wanted £44 million for me, and Chelsea couldn’t reach that figure. They were offering Torres and Ramires along with cash, but United didn’t accept it. I had spoken to José a few times," he said.
Musical Challenges with Jonathan Woodgate
Since retiring, Rooney has managed several clubs, including Derby County, DC United, Birmingham City, and Plymouth Argyle.
While pursuing his coaching badges, he faced a unique challenge: performing a song from Les Misérables alongside his classmates and the cast.
"They brought in the Les Misérables cast to discuss the challenges of being in a musical and how they recruit for shows. At the end, we had to learn a song and dance and perform it," he recalled.
"It was designed to put us in an uncomfortable position. Jonathan Woodgate was next to me, enjoying it! We were all creeping forward, and it was terrible! I enjoy musicals, but I prefer watching them to performing," he added.
Fans can watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC Sport's YouTube channel and iPlayer, or listen on BBC Sounds.