Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has lift the lid on a cheeky voicemail from Man City boss Pep Guardiola that left him 'fuming'
Wayne Rooney revealed a cheeky voicenote from Pep Guardiola took him off guard.
Wayne Rooney revealed a cheeky voicenote from Pep Guardiola took him off guard.(Image: The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
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Wayne Rooney has revealed how a telephone conversation with Pep Guardiola left him "fuming," after an attempted transfer enquiry went awry. Rooney was attempting to secure a loan deal for former Manchester City youth player Liam Delap - now at Chelsea - while in charge at Derby County in 2021.
He recalled the chain of events while working as a pundit for the BBC during City's FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea. "I had Patrick Roberts on loan from Man City at the time. It was actually Liam Delap I was trying to sign on loan for Derby," Rooney said.
"So I called him [Guardiola] and it went to voicemail. I didn't get through, then he called back and I missed it.
"He left a voicemail saying, 'Hi Wayne, this is Pep, the one who beat you in the Champions League final.' So I was fuming!"
Guardiola's Barcelona defeated Rooney's Manchester United in two Champions League finals. The Catalan outfit prevailed 2-0 in Rome in 2009 before doing so again with a 3-1 win at Wembley two years later, a fixture in which Rooney netted United's solitary goal.
When Guardiola subsequently assumed control of City in 2016, he maintained that run of victories against Rooney.
Throughout the former England forward's final years in the Premier League, he suffered further losses against Guardiola's City side before departing for DC United in 2018.
Wayne Rooney looks on
Wayne Rooney is mainstay on the BBC's football coverage(Image: PA)
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Despite exchanging voicemails, Rooney ultimately failed to secure a deal for Liam Delap or any other City player. It ultimately became a redundant issue, with Rooney stepping down as Derby manager at the conclusion of the 2021/22 season.
Delap, who completed a £30million move to Chelsea from Ipswich Town last summer, came off the bench in Saturday's FA Cup final against his former manager but could do nothing to prevent Guardiola's City side from claiming a 1-0 victory.
A breathtaking backheel from Antoine Semenyo midway through the second half proved the decisive moment as City secured their third FA Cup triumph under Guardiola.
The win keeps their domestic double ambitions alive, though they will need Arsenal to drop points in their remaining two fixtures to stand any chance of closing the gap in the Premier League title race.
For Chelsea, it was yet another torrid afternoon at Wembley, stretching their dismal run to eight defeats in 12 matches.
It also represented their fourth consecutive FA Cup final defeat following losses in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and their seventh straight Wembley final defeat, having also fallen short in the 2019, 2022 and 2024 League Cup finals.