Wayne Rooney has opened up to Rob Burrow about his relationship with alcohol in the early days of his football career.
The ex-rugby league star and Motor Neurone Disease campaigner had Rooney as a guest on his BBC Sounds podcast. That was when Manchester United’s all-time recorded scorer admitted drinking was a “release” from the pressures of fame.
It is no secret that Rooney has been in the spotlight throughout his career and it sounds like he used drinking as a form of escapism.
However, Burrow asked Rooney about overcoming challenges in his career and the current Birmingham City manager brought up the issue of alcohol as one of the most difficult.
“My release was alcohol when I was in my early 20s,” Rooney told Burrow, as quoted by BBC. “I’d drink almost until I’d pass out.
“You feel like you’ve let people down and ultimately I didn’t know how else to deal with it.”
The Manchester United legend added: “When you don’t take the help and guidance of others, you can be really in a low place, and I was for a few years with that.
“Thankfully, now I’m not afraid to go and speak to people about issues.”
Rooney’s wife, Coleen, recently revealed she was left heartbroken after he was caught drink-driving with another women in the car.
Speaking in her new Disney+ documentary Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, the mother-of-four said her husband is a ‘totally different person’ when drunk, as per the Daily Mail.
It doesn’t help being in the spotlight at such a young age and you can be guaranteed that the Rooney family will be doing everything to ensure the same doesn’t happen when their kids grow up.
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