Ronaldo vs Rooney: Who Was Faster? Wayne Answers Your Questions

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1:11I had two seasons when I played as the number nine and I think scored 34 goals in both the seasons. I was bored. And if Man United didn't come in, I would have went to Newcastle. What's that? Would have been like your second choice? The biggest achievement in management? I don't know. DC and Derby where I managed to get a full season in.

1:31Okay, this is a little bit of a different episode of the Wayne Rooney Show. We thought we've asked enough questions to Wayne throughout the series. So we're handing kind of the ownership over to you guys. We've been asking you to send in your questions. And myself and Kay are going to put them to Wayne on your behalf. Wayne, you ready? Yep. Go on, Kay. You can go first because you've been like a giddy kid with some of these reading them. No, I think we've covered this already. But he said, what is the biggest difference from playing football when Wayne was playing? and football today and I think it's the lack of good defenders, isn't it?

2:02You can't ask and answer it. No, there is a difference, of course. I think Guardiola's been a big part of that as well, I think, since he come over and I think the game's gone a bit slower and obviously more build-up and goalkeepers playing out from the back more and centre-backs having more touches and actually it's changed a little bit this season. that you receive more long throw-ins again and balls getting played in behind a bit more this season. But I think over the last 10 years, it is a bit slower and more build-up where we get forward and get crosses in the box. And I think that's the big difference.

2:43He's right. I think it's nice to see a return of English football this year, though. Lob it to the big man, second balls. I'm not happy till it goes back to 4-4-2, I'm telling you that much. Okay, then. Oh, I like this. What would be your dream five-a-side team from current Premier League players? Probably should have told you this one in advance because it's quite tough. Current Premier League players? Phil Foden, definitely. Okay, fine.

3:15Why have you picked him first? He was like, you didn't even have to think about that. Yeah, because five-a-side, Phil Foden, tight areas. Probably Cole Palmer as well. in there who's your keeper Saka it's a very attacking team yeah I'm not having a keeper no defenders I'd put Casey though in there he can be the defensive one but he can attack attack as well Mo Salah so yeah that would be my five players yeah okay Kay can you pick up off this who would you have in yours there we go I'd probably do you know what I would pick Haaland though just purely because of the fact he's so big and whatever I'm going for like out muscle with the rest of the lads and I think Haaland's quite big and whatever.

3:58See, you'd have Folden, Saka, Parma, just little movements around them and you wouldn't get near them. I'd pick Kobi Menuh to be fair as well. Yeah, Kobi would be good. So he got some minutes? Oh, that's a low blow. That's a low. No, I'm joking. I love Kobi Menuh. I think instead of Kaisada, I'd have Kobi Menuh. But I have to have a United player in there, innit? Yeah, true. Go on. Next question, Kay. Biggest achievement and regret while playing? and biggest achievement and regret in management? Biggest regret was the time when I went into Birmingham in management, for sure. And the whole thing about it, really.

4:36Sure. Probably all her regret. Well, because of the change of ownership and everything and what was going on? Yeah, the owners were great from that point of view. It was just the timing and John Eustace was doing a good job and obviously that's nothing to do with me. when they got rid of John. But going in at that time and the fans obviously liked John and they started okay in the league and I just wouldn't do it again if it was in that situation. It's always hard going in after a manager that's quite popular with the fans and doing well as well, isn't it? Biggest achievement in management? DC and Derby where I managed to get a full season in.

5:22that probably is no I think it's I mean I know we got relegated but we created a real family good place as good as we could during the administration with members of staff getting made redundant and losing jobs and stuff you know we created a happy place in bad times really so that was probably because we brought a lot of academy players through who've gone on to still play and obviously having good careers You've done your management ones what about your playing ones? I don't know because obviously there's different trophies and stuff we've won from a selfish point of view which I'm very rarely selfish is winning the FA Cup and walking up the steps at Wembley as captain and lifting trophy and regret going to the World Cup in 2006 probably why do you regret that?

6:26yeah I went fit I shouldn't have went and then it ended with getting a red card and so yeah if I went back I probably wouldn't have went wouldn't go ok which Manchester United teammate made you laugh the most in the dressing room?

6:49there's a few Patrice was always quite lively but he was annoying as well in what way why is he annoying no have you not seen his Instagram yeah but as a team mate no he's a nice lad Pat Pat was funny at times do you know PK funny how is it yeah he was very funny Funny lad.

7:19Yeah, I'd... Guy Neville as well. Guy Neville could be funny at times. I'd say Pat, if Attitude won't. I collect shirts and currently have around 60. What's Wayne's favourite shirt he wore? Why are you reading this like it's come out of a computer? My favourite shirt I wore. You spoke about one. Do you remember when we did that podcast in London in the studio? You spoke about one that day. I can't remember what it was. The one I liked most where it fit and how it looked was, I think it was about 2016. Did you swap shirts with a lot of people? Yeah. After we had Kai started swapping more shirts than really before, I didn't really play the dash for my shirts, I'd just give them in.

8:06But yeah, I've swapped quite a lot, yeah. Have you got any big names? um yeah ronaldo um zlatan um i don't know i've got me a messing wow

8:23swainstager um when your boys were getting older were they then asking you and were there specific ones that they would say dad i really want that shirt yeah and i think santa's got a few shirts as well. What a Santa you've got in your area. You're trying to get whatever ones you can, really. And then, obviously, if you're coming up... There's some random ones as well, I think, the kids have asked me to get in. You're like, I'm not going to ask them for that shirt. Like, it's random. I can't remember which place. It was like a holding midfielder for Burnley or someone. That's not being disrespectful.

9:01but come on you can caveat it with well Matt probably says it sounds worse if you say it's my son it sounds even more like you really don't want it no so yeah so yeah I've got some some really good ones in there and there's ones where which I've always kept them whatever shit it was I've always kept them are they framed or are they just in a box somewhere no a lot of them are framed yeah okay on to the next question I've just realised we should probably actually give people credit for sending them in and say the name of who's been sending them in. And I like this name. Tony Tiger says, what was the most memorable conversation you had with Sir Alex Ferguson?

9:39Is there a line that's stuck with you ever since? Yeah, I always remember the one line he said, and one thing he said, and he said it a few times, is the hardest thing to do in life is work hard. And that stuck with me, I think. Great part. whatever job you're doing and that can apply to anything really so I think in football we have talent, we have ability but sometimes we don't look at working hard every day and you'd think that's normal, you should do that if you're playing in a big club but some players actually, you've seen them, they don't. So that was the one thing which stuck with me. Have you passed that on?

10:29Have you used that line on other players that you've coached since? Yeah, I've robbed a few of them. You would if you've worked with Sir Alex for that long. Yeah, he used to stop trading all the time. It was the geese flying over. It was the geese one going there. And he'd stop it all the time and talk about teamwork and the ones at the front, then they'd peel off to the back and the next ones take over. What, with the geese? When you've heard it about a thousand times. I thought he only done that once. Was that like a reoccurring thing? When you get new players, he stops to tell them and you've been there 13 years.

11:06Come on, not again. That's good. Tony Tiger has single-handedly probably got the best line out of Wayne out of all the pods we've done. Tony can come on more often. Okay. Right, the Thomas Taylor. Who was faster, you or Chris? Cristiano Ronaldo. We've done tests over 30 yards, I think it was. And I was top in that. And Owen Argreaves was actually second. Oh, really? Yeah, Owen was quicker than people think, yeah. So yeah, I was faster than that. But there's all different aspects in football. And, you know, Cristiano obviously dribbling with the ball is really quick. Ryan Giggs dribbling with the ball.

11:49Some players seem quicker with the ball than without it as well. Was there anyone you played against where you were like, bloody hell, they're so quick, I can't. Yeah, Kyle Walker's rapid. Theo, Gabriel Bonho's rapid. So yeah, they're the three actually. I'd say the quickest. Aaron Lennon's sharp. Just like over five yards, Aaron Lennon was so quick, so sharp. It was the slits and the eyebrows. It made it more aerodynamic. Pauline Carroll says, if football wasn't for you, what would you have done? I don't know. I've never actually even thought about it. When I was young, I never thought about anything else but football.

12:34So probably what the lads in Crocky, where we're from, like Brick Lane or a building site or electricity or something like that. okay what would you have done if you weren't a comedian did you have a job before you're a comedian I've had loads of jobs I've worked in finance I've worked in gyms I've worked in retail I worked at the apple store um I've done a whole bunch of stuff I worked at full and football club in hospitality for about three shifts as well what what I'm a bit nervous to ask why only lasted three shifts because I do you know it was I think there was one day I was in a player's lounge um and I was serving them food and whatever and that was like the fun part and I was like, oh, this is great because I remember seeing like Gareth Southgate, Stuart Downing, I think Mark Schultzer and all those guys and then the next time they put me in a box and the people were just rude and I was like, I can't do this again and I thought I was going to be with the players every week so I was excited to see players coming around but it was like they stuck me in a box with these people and they were quite rude to me and I was like, I'm not doing this, man I was 16 and I had a bit of an attitude on me in it.

13:47So I was like, I can't take people talking to me like this. So yeah. I think I might have said this on the show before, or I've definitely said it to Wayne before. I used to serve the England team at the Grove. So I've probably served Wayne at some point, which is quite funny to think. There was an annoying girl who was doing that. I was right into that, didn't I? Go on, Kay, do the next one. If you could have one player in your team that you never played with, who would it have who would it have been sorry yeah Simon Halfpenny sorry they've written between rather than been that's why I'd have to I'd have to say Messi yeah of course I'd have to be Messi there was him or Zidane yeah I'd have to say Messi how good was Zidane though yeah Zidane was smooth very and elegant and touch and control Zidane was yeah some player were there any other were there players that you ever looked at in awe?

14:44Just like maybe in the tunnel or as they stepped on the pitch where you were just a bit like, not like scared of them but you were like, wow, I'm playing against Zidane. Not really. The one was when actually I scored my first goal for Everton, the Premier League, was Arsenal. And I was on the bench, I started the game on the bench and at Goodison, you walk down the tunnel and it's tight and the starting line-ups are out and the subs we walk through them. I remember walking past them because these are massive. It was, honestly, they were, I think Sol Campbell, David Seaman, Vieira, Henri's big, Gilberto Silva.

15:23They were massive. Bergkamp, big. I didn't realise actually how big they was until I got up close to them. Yeah, they're big guys, man. Okay, on to the next one. Adam Wilson, 4063, says, was there any chance of you joining Newcastle back in 2004? yeah I would have certainly went it was Manchester United wanted to wait a season and then Sam the year after I did sign and Newcastle put a bid in and if Man United didn't come in I would have went Newcastle well I'm glad that never happened so that would have been like your second choice it was them two were bidding against each other really and it was me agent's best mate who was chairman of Newcastle at the time.

16:15So I'm sure he was getting nudged to try and get me as well. But yeah, it was them two really. They were the ones bidding. Of course I wanted to go to my... I spoke to Bobby Robson and Al Shearer. Did you? As well, yeah. To Bobby Robson, Stiley got on the phone and called me Mark. So I thought he was either, he obviously forgot my name or he was a genius because that's my middle name.

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17:56Right, David C asks why do you think you were so far ahead of other players at your age? Was it nature or nurture? No, I think I just play football every day. for hours and hours every single day before school, after school in training and that's what I've done really I've just practised on it I used to go out behind our house was the local U club and we had a tarmac pitch right behind our house I used to go out and practice passing the ball from one side to the other and finishing and touch. I actually cut my head open one day in there. I don't know why I did it. I thought I'd stone up and stupidly looked up to see where it was.

18:47I thought you said you were going to try and head it. Yeah. But no, I think just practice. And then hunger as well, I think. I got moved up one age group, then two age groups, then I was 14, playing for the under-19s. and I just wanted that hunger. Every time I moved up, I didn't want anyone else to take my place, and I think that drives you on. What I think is important as well, you seem like you never lost a love for a game. I found my passion. It was football and everything, and that's always in you. You have that love for the game, and this has been my career, and it's still there now. Yeah, just talking to us about it instead, unfortunately.

19:36The Al Harrington says, what would you consider the best individual performance of your playing career? That's a tough one. Okay, do top three then, maybe. It might be easier. I don't know. I enjoyed the A2 against Arsenal. It's quite a hat to take. Enjoyed that game. It's so difficult to choose because, you know, I critique myself all the time and go, so sometimes I actually have played better than I think I've played because I'm focused on one mistake I've made or something.

20:19Yeah, that's a difficult one. I don't know how to answer that. I can't. The Arsenal one, I'd say. Okay, what do you think? What's your, when you look back on Wainwright? There's too many, man. There's too many. Stop, you're both. This is a cop-out for both of you. All right, I'll go from one of my favourite seasons. I think it was the season... 2010. Yeah, when you played as a... Nine, yeah. I feel like that season... Are you two telepathic or something? No, I knew he was going to... No, that's... I had two seasons when I played as the number nine and I think scored 34 goals in both the seasons.

20:53And... But I was bored. Really? Yeah. I was coming off the pitch and I was scoring goals and I just weren't enjoying. Oh, that's so boring, isn't it, scoring goals? No, I like to play football and get involved in the game. And so I was scoring goals and obviously we were in games wherever, but I wanted to get involved in the game. So, yeah. Did you ask Sir Alex to move you and take you off that position? No, it's, we lost players and I went up top and of course I love scoring goals and love playing up front but I wanted to be involved a bit more and that's a skill that's a hard skill set to learn we've seen it now with maybe Rashford might play that go with there or Mbappe to go and play to number nine is very difficult you've got to be very patient and it's a difficult skill set and it takes time to learn them.

21:58No, what I meant was when you were playing up front, did you ask the Gaffer to move you back to get you more involved in the game? No, different things happened and Van Persie come in, so I moved back and he went into that number nine role. So it depends on what players you have in the squad. I could play one game with Berbatov. I have to play a different role and I might play with Tevez and I'm changing my role again to time bring the best out of both of us. That brings us on to a good question. Which was your favourite, this is from Sri Kranth, which was your favourite strike partnership? Rooney-Tévez, Rooney-Ronaldo, Rooney-Van Persie or Rooney-Berbatov?

22:45Tevez, I really enjoyed playing with Carlos and I just not played, I enjoyed playing with all of them but with Carlos, there was a big thing in the papers when we were signing him, seeing that the two of us were too similar, we couldn't play together. I think for the both of us, we were like, okay, we'll show you and stuff. We were aggressive and we worked hard and tackled as well, but then bounced off each other. One of us replaced a nine, did it as a 10 and we changed it up. He was definitely the favourite one to play with. Richard Stone says, if you could change one rule in football, what would it be and why?

23:28I'd just go back with just letting the referees ref the game. I knew you'd say that. From everything you've said on this show, you're not a VAR fan, are you? No, I just, if they're getting everything right, then you can't put up with it, but, you know, we're seeing the Celtic Celtic goal where they give a handball. It hasn't even touched his arm, so, and making mistakes as well with VAR. So you may as well let the referees make the mistakes. Would you think it would be better if they use VAR like an appeal system where you go, where the manager goes, I want that looked at? Are you looking?

24:07No, it's... I just think it's time to overcomplicate the simple game. True. There's so many different rule changes and so many things coming into play. football is a simple game if you actually break it down it's 11 v 11 for 90 minutes and then we're doing our best to try and make it very difficult no I was going to say limit the amount of passes in your own area like if you if you put a certain limit on the amount of times you can pass it around a back four well you do that in the kids football don't you the kids have to go back towards the half way land for goal kicks so that's to encourage them to pass out.

24:51Yeah, so it probably makes it more interesting. Okay, next question. Okay, probably your most famous moment in the US was the game against Orlando City. This is from Liam5846. With the keeper up for a corner, you ran back to stop a certain goal and then hit a 50-yard pass to set up the winner. Be honest, how often do you watch that? And one comment on the YouTube video said, said Rooney went from Paolo Maldini to David Beckham real quick. No, it pops up now and again on Instagram and stuff.

25:25The one thing from that which I didn't get why the keeper was there. You're throwing the game 2-2. I was like, what are you doing? I'm on the edge of the box and I see our keeper run past me. I was like, where's he going? What's he doing? So I was thinking, right, if they break, I might be able to get back. So I stayed out of the box then. He obviously did. If the player passes it, there's another player inside me. He would have took me completely out of the game. So I was thinking, in my head, I'm thinking, please have a touch. Have a touch, because I knew if he had a touch, I could get close to him and get a tackle and win the ball or take him out.

26:03Either one. Do you know what the maddest part of that one was for me? Was the lad that scores the goal, when he celebrates, he doesn't even come over to you or anything. And then there's a shot of you just like breathing heavily. Like you're not even smiling. No, that was his hat-trick. Luciano, that was his third goal. He's one of my favourite players I've ever played with. Is he? Oh, is he? Why? He's brilliant, honestly. He's tiny. He's like a smaller version of Sergio Aguero and skillful. He was signing for PSG. he flew to PSG and the general manager of DC flew out with him and I think when he got there DC asked for more money than Wichita he'd agreed and it didn't happen Paul had to come back crying his eyes out and missed out on a big move to PSG but he's some player and that goal was offside was it?

27:03don't say that I think VAR let it go So he knew it was a big moment. This came in from Philip C, 1989. So these are his words. You're the record goal scorer for Manchester United, second highest for England. You won pretty much every club trophy going. So why do people often say you're underrated? I know some people say I'm overrated as well. So I don't hear that one. No, I don't. No, I always hear people downplaying your success. Yeah, I don't hear underrated. For me, I'm not really too bothered, to be honest. I think what's important to me is what my teammates, what they think. That's the most important thing because they're the players you play with and you're trying to win trophies with.

27:49So yeah, some people like different players for different reasons. That's completely fine. I think part of the reason is, and it's a lot of the old United lads, is you lot sort of keep it humble and you don't talk about your success and stuff. That's why like whenever these conversations get up, people sort of lean into even disrespect at times when they're talking about certain players. I think I saw that Gerrard interview the other day and they asked him was it Scholes, Lampard or Gerrard and he said he'd back himself. And I think whereas like, I've heard Paul Scholes say it before, like he doesn't talk about himself like that or whatever.