- Manchester United star wanted to play for one more British side
- Rooney expected an offer once he left United
- Iconic striker spent time in MLS instead
Manchester United legend and all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney has revealed that he wanted to play for Celtic at some stage during his career.
The England great carved out a glittering career, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton as United’s record scorer and, until Harry Kane surpassed him, England’s as well. He lifted five Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League, and placed fifth in the 2011 Ballon d’Or.
While his legacy centres on his years at Old Trafford, Rooney also had two spells with his boyhood club, Everton, and later spent two seasons at Derby County, where he took on a player-manager role before bringing his playing career to a close.
Rooney and Celtic
Speaking on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show, the former United man admitted that he held an admiration for Celtic as a youngster.
“Just growing up as a kid, I’ve always liked Celtic. When I was growing up, there was Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton up top, John Hartson when he was there.”
He added:
“Some of the players Celtic have had and moments they’ve given us, incredible. During the best part of my career, I always thought I’d love to play for Celtic at the end of my career,” he continued. Obviously, it wasn’t to be.”
The club and player crossed paths on four occasions during Rooney’s career, with each meeting coming in the Champions League group stage.
Across those encounters, he experienced mixed fortunes, winning twice, drawing once, and losing once.
Meanwhile, he found the net just once, adding the third in a 3-0 victory after Dimitar Berbatov struck the opening two.
Could Rooney have Joined Celtic?
After a brief second spell with boyhood side Everton, Rooney travelled across the Atlantic to play on the other side of the pond for MLS outfit DC United.
The ex-England captain would leave DC United in 2019 and return to England to sign for Derby County in 2020, where Rooney would see out the rest of his career.
Rooney admitted that he “always” felt that he was destined to wear the Celtic shirt at some stage of his career, despite it never happening before he retired in 2021.
Despite being one of the greatest modern players ever, he never got his chance to play in the famous green-and-white hoops of the Bhoys.
