Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has revealed why he held Scottish side Celtic in such high regard amid opening up on a major regret.
The 40-year-old Manchester United legend had a superb impact during his time at Old Trafford and hoovered up the major silverware during his spell with the Red Devils.
One of the best Premier League strikers of all time, Wayne Rooney lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup and three League Cups.
Rooney’s playing career in England was spent only with boyhood club Everton and United, but the England icon had his eyes on playing for Celtic in Scotland.
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Wayne Rooney is present before the UEFA Champions League knockout play-off second-leg match between Newcastle United and Qarabag at St James's Park in Newcastle, England, in 2026.
Photo by Scott Llewellyn/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Why does former Man Utd and England striker Wayne Rooney really like Scottish outfit Celtic?
Wayne Rooney crossed paths with Celtic in the Champions League during his time at Old Trafford under iconic former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Even after the former Manchester United captain’s Old Trafford spell ended in 2017, Rooney was not afforded the opportunity to play for Scottish Premiership side Celtic.
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Speaking on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show, the former Everton and England striker admitted that he held an admiration for Celtic as a youngster.
“Just growing up as a kid, I’ve always liked Celtic,” he said.
Rooney added that there were several former Celtic players who impacted him when he watched the Scottish side, including Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson.
“When I was growing up, there was Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton up top, John Hartson when he was there,” he added.
“Some of the players Celtic have had and moments they’ve given us, incredible.”
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Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney expected to play for Celtic at some point in his career
Rooney had a brief second spell with Everton from 2017 to 2018 after his Old Trafford exit before he moved to the States to play for MLS outfit DC United.
The ex-England captain would leave DC United in 2019 and return to England to sign for Derby County in 2020, where Rooney would see out the rest of his career.
Rooney admitted that he “always” felt that he was destined to wear the Celtic shirt at some stage of his career, despite it never happening before he retired in 2021.
“During the best part of my career, I always thought I’d love to play for Celtic at the end of my career,” he continued.
“Obviously, it wasn’t to be.”
Rooney has been taking a more active role in punditry since he was axed from his last managerial role at Plymouth Argyle in 2024.
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