Former Manchester United right-back, Gary Neville, has spoken about what life away from the pitch was like with one particular Red Devils team-mate.
Wayne Rooney was a formidable part of the Old Trafford outfit’s attack as well as being a spiky presence on the pitch if necessary, and those traits arguably endeared him to both his colleagues and the supporters.
However, when the team went on a night out, it appears that it wasn’t always fun and games if Rooney tagged along.
“I remember once – and this is a true story, I used to love Wazza, he was a brilliant lad – but when he was younger he was a bit… what’s the word… when we were out he was a little bit unpredictable,” Neville said on Sky Sports News’ The Football Show, and reported by the Daily Star.
“[…] I always thought he was a target from people who we saw in the street, I always thought he was someone that other fans would try and wind up.
“Anyway basically he stopped at the top of the stairs, this security guard, and handed him over to another security guard at the bottom of the stairs. And he (Rooney) ended up having a battle in the middle of the stairs in between the two security guards!
“It was about a 10-step staircase and he’s literally been left alone for five steps! But he was somebody who was a challenge, but he was a great lad.”
Despite now being one of the elder statesmen in the game, and a family man to boot, Rooney has still had his fair share of bad headlines, with the Daily Mail reporting as recently as August 2019 that the player had partied with some female company until the early hours in Vancouver, prompting a tirade from his long-suffering wife Coleen in the process.
There can be no question as to what a great career Rooney has had, but like so many others before him, temptations off the pitch have seen him lead a tumultuous personal life, and one which will forever stain his overall image.