I wanted to play with Messi after my teammate Rooney made a surprise confession and moved to Barcelona in 2010+My junior goes to TAA Real

Apr 01, 2025

I wanted to play with Messi after my teammate Rooney made a surprise confession and moved to Barcelona in 2010My junior goes to TAA Real
AFP Yonhap News



'Man United legend' Former Plymouth coach Wayne Rooney confessed that he was willing to leave Manchester United for Barcelona 15 years ago.

On the 31st (Korea time), Rooney revealed his past anecdotes in a column of the British public broadcaster 'BBC' on the subject of joining Real, a junior member of the English national team, Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool).

Rooney confessed that in 2010, when the rumor of a transfer to Manchester City heated up the English soccer community, he was actually more likely to enter Spain than Manchester City.




He said "I was ready to play in Spain at the time, and we exchanged real conversations. A Real Madrid transfer seemed the most likely, but I was actually thinking more about Barcelona. Playing with Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Chavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets, I thought about how to melt into the team. Eventually I stayed at Manchester United, but any player would have wanted to go to Barcelona, an amazing team."

At that time, Cristiano Ronaldo, a teammate of Manchester United, was playing in Real, but Rooney's 'pick' was Barcelona, where Messi was involved. If Rooney had left for Barcelona at the time, Manchester United's history might have been different. Rooney played in Manchester United's uniform for 13 years from 2004 to 2017 and scored a career-high 253 goals. Alex Ferguson's main striker has won five Premier League titles and one Champions League title.

I wanted to play with Messi after my teammate Rooney made a surprise confession and moved to Barcelona in 2010My junior goes to TAA Real
AFP Yonhap News
Rooney responded to Alexander-Arnold's preparation for a trip to Real with his back to Liverpool, saying, `Real is the same as ever. Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior play. It's natural to be attracted to such a team. Everyone will feel that. Alexander-Arnold has played for Liverpool since he was six, but most players leave the team at some point. That's why Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have so few "one-club men". I can't blame Trent for wanting to take on another challenge. Spain could be a good choice for him" supported.




Alexander-Arnold, who is considered the world's top right-back, is certain to wear a real uniform on a free contract this summer. Leading media and transfer experts believe that they have already completed prior contracts.

Rooney also said Alexander-Arnold would have been attracted to his plans to win a new trophy elsewhere as he is already set to win the English Premier League and European Champions League in Liverpool, and win a second Premier League title in a few weeks. It was also speculated that the presence of friend Bellingham may have been the reason behind Alexander-Arnold's decision to go to Real.

"What worries people is that Trent is leaving for free. We don't know why Trent let his contract expire, but Liverpool have played Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk this season, and Robert Firmino and Giorginio in the past Did the same thing to Wijnaldum. But Trent hasn't signed with Real yet. It could remain at Anfield after all this. In my experience, so many things happen before signing a contract."






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.