Wayne Rooney has reportedly signed an £800,000 punditry deal ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. Following his retirement from football back in 2021, the Manchester United legend has tried his hand at management. He's coached Derby County, D.C. United, Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle over the last four years, but, despite being one of the best English footballers ever, he's struggled to find any form of success as a manager.
His stint at Derby was his longest with a team, as Rooney took charge of 85 games with the Rams, but he resigned from the team after they were relegated to League One. He then spent 53 games in MLS with D.C. United, but they mutually agreed to part ways after he failed to lead the side to the playoffs.
Disastrous stints with Birmingham and Plymouth followed and both teams sacked him within 25 games. It's not been the strongest start to life as a manager and now, it looks as though Rooney is turning his attention to a career in punditry instead.
MixCollage-15-Nov-2024-02-47-PM-8262 Related
Wayne Rooney Named Footballer he Wishes he’d Played With During His Career
The two famously faced off in Euros 2004, and there was one outright winner in the clash.
Rooney Has Signed £800,000 Match of the Day Deal
The Englishman will work as a pundit on the show
Wayne Rooney
The 2025/26 season will welcome a brand-new era of Match of the Day as long-time host Gary Lineker has left the show. The former Tottenham Hotspur man spent 25 years presenting the popular highlights show, but announced during the 2024/25 campaign that he would exit his role once the season wrapped up.
He's since been replaced by Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates, who will rotate between Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 on Sunday. A role just as important as the presenter, though, is the pundits who accompany them and offer insight into the Premier League matches every week and according to the Mirror, Rooney has signed an £800,000 deal to work on the show going forward.
It's not his first outing in punditry, though. The former forward has had a taste of the gig with the likes of Sky Sports and Amazon, earning plaudits for his work. With his issues as a manager, it looks like Rooney may have found a new career.