Wayne Rooney admits that he almost left Manchester United to join Barcelona in 2010 to play alongside Lionel Messi and Co.
The former Manchester United striker, who won the Premier League five times under Sir Alex Ferguson, also revealed that Real Madrid and Chelsea in the running for his signing at the top of his powers.
However, it was the idea of playing under the dominant side of Barcelona of Pep Guardiola who intrigued her the most.
“When I said to Manchester United in 2010 that I did not want to sign a new agreement and have put a transfer request, three clubs came for me,” said Rooney in an interview with BBC Sport.
“Manchester City is often mentioned as one of them, but I don’t think it was an option for me – the teams that made a approach were Chelsea, Real and Barcelona.”
Rooney continued by explaining that moving to Spain was a serious consideration for him and his family. Initially, the former Red Devil discussed a move to Real Madrid, but his attention was more attracted by Barcelona and how he could potentially integrate into their alignment alongside world class talents such as Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets.
Wayne Rooney almost joined Barcelona in 2010 🤯
Imagine a three of the Messi-David Villa-Rooney 🔥 forehead front pic.twitter.com/tbnxqnnv40
– ESPN FC (@espnfc) April 1, 2025
“In my head, I was ready to go and play in Spain and some interviews took place,” he added.
“An agreement with Real seemed more likely for a few days, but it was Barcelona that I thought the most, and how I could integrate myself next to the sides alongside Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets.
“At the end, I decided to stay in United, but Barça then had an incredible team and all player would have loved playing it.”
Rooney also admitted that the reason he considered an Old Trafford departure at the time was that he was not sure of the club management and his ability to win silverware.
“Winning trophies was the greatest reason why I planned to leave United in 2010. I was about to be 25 years old and I was concerned about club management,” he said.
In the end, Rooney ended up choosing to stay with Manchester United, where he would continue to cement his heritage as one of the big on the club and the division.
