Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has detailed the unusual comment that Louis van Gaal made to his wife Coleen when the pair met for the first time
Wayne Rooney and Louis van Gaal
Wayne Rooney has shared what Louis van Gaal said to his wife during their first meeting
(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Wayne Rooney has recalled the awkward first conversation between his wife Coleen and former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.
Van Gaal, famed for his work at Ajax and Barcelona, was named United boss in 2014. The iconic coach had been named as the permanent successor to David Moyes ahead of the World Cup, where Van Gaal helped the Netherlands achieve a third-place finish.
He lasted two years at United, ending his tenure by winning the FA Cup. United legend Rooney had immense respect for the manager’s tactical knowledge, but was left red-faced by Van Gaal’s unexpected opening line when introducing himself to Coleen.
“I loved him, he was so funny,” he said of Van Gaal on The Wayne Rooney Show podcast. “The first time he met Coleen, we had a lunch and all the players’ wives and girlfriends, all the staff are there.
“He came up to Coleen, first ever time he met her, and he went, ‘Your children, they look very much like their father. He has very strong sperm.’
“That was the first time he’d met her. But he was so funny and such a good character. I really liked him as a person, different and funny. As a coach, I learned probably more from him than I did from anyone else.”
Despite embracing Van Gaal’s tactical approach, he admitted that the manager being sacked shortly after winning the FA Cup was tough for all parties involved. “It was really sad because, you looked at him, big personality, we’ve just won the FA Cup and he knew, we all knew, that he was going to get sacked,” Rooney said. “Fair play to him, he stuck to his job right until the end.”
Wayne Rooney and his Manchester United team-mates celebrate winning the FA Cup in 2016
Wayne Rooney celebrated winning the FA Cup during Louis van Gaal's final game in charge
While it may be bold for Rooney to suggest he learned the most from Van Gaal, given he won five Premier League titles and many other major honours under Sir Alex Ferguson, he explained that both managers had distinctly different approaches. Rooney demonstrated his love of the Dutchman’s ideas when he began coaching at Derby County alongside Philip Cocu, who played under Van Gaal for Barcelona and the Netherlands.
“The best I worked under was Louis van Gaal,” Rooney stated on his podcast. “That might sound strange. Alex Ferguson knew exactly what he was doing and was a genius at what he done.
“But in terms of tactically, Louis van Gaal was streets ahead of anyone I’ve ever worked with. Alex Ferguson was the best all-round, but tactically Louis van Gaal was incredible. I used to just watch and take everything in, watch how he prepared the team, how he set the team up defensively.”
Wayne Rooney and Louis van Gaal
Wayne Rooney has argued that he learned the most from Louis van Gaal during his iconic career
In 2014, Van Gaal named Rooney as United captain following Nemanja Vidic leaving the club. The forward scored 29 goals and provided 12 assists in 78 games under the Dutch coach. Rooney would remain at United for another year after Van Gaal’s dismissal, working under Jose Mourinho, before returning to boyhood club Everton in 2017.
Van Gaal later announced his retirement after being sacked by United before returning for a brief third spell as Netherlands manager in 2021. Taking charge of the country at the 2022 World Cup, the Netherlands topped their group and defeated the USA in the round of 16 before losing to eventual winners Argentina on penalties in the quarter-finals.
He's been out of management since then, battling prostate cancer. But a return to the game is a possibility for the 74-year-old once again after treatment proved successful.
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