Man United legend reveals he got here near becoming a member of Barcelona – ‘I used to be pondering…’

Wayne Rooney, the all-time prime scorer for Manchester United, just lately disclosed that he got here very near becoming a member of Barcelona in 2010. 

The previous participant, who now works as a coach and commentator, confessed that in that point, he was not fascinated by renewing his contract with Manchester United and had expressed his want to go away the membership.

On the time, three prime golf equipment—Chelsea, Actual Madrid, and Barcelona—had been all vying for his signature. Rooney admitted that, though he initially thought-about a transfer to Actual Madrid, his ideas had been primarily targeted on Barcelona. 

Sharing the story

Rooney recalled that whereas a possible take care of Madrid gave the impression to be extra probably for a brief interval, it was Barcelona that he envisioned himself taking part in for.

“In my head, I used to be able to play in Spain, and there have been talks. A take care of Madrid appeared extra potential for a few days, however in actuality, I used to be pondering extra about Barcelona,” he started saying.

Wayne Rooney wished to play for Barcelona. (Photograph by Brian Bahr/Getty Pictures)

He mirrored on the prospect of taking part in alongside gamers like Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, and Sergio Busquets, calling the workforce “unimaginable.”

“I used to be pondering how I’d match right into a workforce with Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets. In the long run, I stayed at United, however Barcelona had an unimaginable workforce, and any participant would have cherished to be there,” he added.

Two Champions League finals towards Barcelona

Curiously, throughout his time at Manchester United, Rooney confronted Barcelona twice within the UEFA Champions League ultimate. In each encounters, the Catalan giants emerged victorious. 

Probably the most memorable of those got here within the 2011 ultimate, the place regardless of Rooney scoring for United, targets from Pedro, Lionel Messi, and David Villa handed Barcelona a 3-1 victory beneath Pep Guardiola’s administration.

Rooney’s close to transfer to Barcelona highlights simply how extremely he regarded their golden period and the way shut he got here to changing into a part of one of the vital profitable groups in soccer historical past.

Supply: Mundo Deportivo