Drinks on Wazza!
Former Wigan Athletic forward Hugo Rodallega has claimed that he would often see Wayne Rooney and former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard out partying when he lived in the north west.
Rodallega, who now plays for Denizlispor in Turkey, played in the Premier League for Wigan and later joined Fulham. He went on Instagram Live with fellow Colombian footballer Johan Arango when he said he would regularly see Rooney ‘drinking like a madman’ out in Manchester.
It’s important to note that Rodallega is not having a go at either Rooney or Gerrard. He believes this is perfectly natural behaviour. Footballers are human and we must understand they need to let off steam too.
“If people knew how many times I bumped into Rooney in Manchester drinking like a madman or the number of times I saw Gerrard on a bar dancing shirtless, they are human beings, there is nothing wrong with it,” Rodallega is quoted as saying via 90Min.
“I can count with one hand the number of footballers who don’t drink. All of them, all of us, go out and drink.
“I have always said it. I enjoy drinking and dancing. I love salsa dancing. There is nothing wrong with it. I know we are footballers, but we are human beings too.”
While I agree with this statement, footballers also have a greater responsibility than most of us to look after their bodies. There is nothing wrong with anyone having a few drinks as long as it’s done responsibly.
That’s too much to ask of some people — including myself — but Rooney and Gerrard still went on to have great careers, despite the latter never winning a Premier League winners’ medal.
They both found themselves in a bit of bother during their playing careers.
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