Wayne Rooney admits that he is close to leaving Manchester United to join Barcelona in 2010 and play alongside Lionel Messi and the company.
The former Manchester United striker, who won five times under Sir Alex Ferguson in the Premier League five times, has revealed that Real Madrid and Chelsea are competing for the game at the top of their forces.
But it was the idea of playing under the dominant Barcelona club Pep Guardiola, who attracted the most.
“When I told Manchester United in 2010 that I don’t want to sign a new deal and apply to me, three clubs came in for me,” Rooney told the BBC Sport.
“My Manchester City are often talked about as one of them, but I don’t think it was an option for me – the teams that had stopped were Chelsea, Real and Barcelona.
Rooney continued to speak and explained that the transfer to Spain is a serious consideration for him and his family. Reed’s former devil spoke about his move to Real Madrid, but more attention was drawn to Barcelona and how can he probably move alongside world talents such as Messi, Iniesta, Zavi and Sergio Busquets.
Wayne Rooney is close to joining Barcelona in 2010 🤯
Imagine Messi-David Villa-Roy 🔥 Pic.twitter.com/tbnxqnnv4
— ESPN FC (@espnfc) 1 April
“I was willing to go to Spain and some discussions were held,” he said.
“One more than a couple of days will be seen, but it was Barcelona I thought the most, and how I might leave next to Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Zavi and Sergio Busquets.
“I finally decided to stay at United, but Barca had an incredible team and any player he liked to play in.
Rooney also acknowledged that the reason he thought about leaving Old Trafford was that he was not sure he was sacking and the ability to win silver.
“The winner of the cups was the biggest reason I thought about leaving United in 2010. He was 25 years old and was worried about the club’s direction,” he said.
Finally, Rooney ended his choice of staying with Manchester United, where he moves forward to further consolidate his inheritance as one of the club’s greatest and at all times.