Wayne Rooney has made clear his wish to be the next James Bond after the Manchester United legend previously hinted at being 007 and even tried his hand at playing the British Secret Service agent
15:13, 16 Aug 2025Updated 15:22, 16 Aug 2025
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney has made clear his James Bond dream(Image: PA)
Wayne Rooney is not giving up on his dream of being the next James Bond.
The Manchester United and England legend is a huge 007 fan, and who better to play the iconic spy than an admirer of the man himself, right? The similarities between the cool-headed, fashion icon former footballer and Bond are unparalleled.
While that might be a stretch, Rooney doesn’t appear to think so as he again threw his name into the topic of discussion to be the next 007. Rooney even gave an audition in 2012 when he joined forces with United team-mates Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra in a Skyfall parody with the Huffington Post.
Somehow, Wazza’s acting skills went unnoticed as Daniel Craig continued to hold the role of the British Secret Service agent. But following his last iteration as Bond in ‘No Time to Die’, the next 007 is yet to be confirmed.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Rooney threw his name in the ring to take the role when he was asked if he could only achieve or do one thing for the rest of his life, what would it be?
Wayne Rooney as James Bond
Wayne Rooney wants to be the next James Bond(Image: Sygma via Getty Images)
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With little hesitation, Rooney replied: “Maybe become the next James Bond!”
However, Rooney’s schedule is looking incredibly busy for the next year as he’s set to be a regular on Match of the Day this season after signing a lucrative contract to feature on the show, and has also launched a new podcast with the BBC.
Or is it all one big cover up? Probably not. Despite him seemingly playing the part in the spoof, Rooney’s talents have gone unrecognised, with punters not even able to place a bet on him to be the next Bond.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is currently the favourite to be the next Bond, just ahead of Henry Cavill and Callum Turner.
However, to rub salt into the wounds, David Beckham and even Diddly Squat’s Jeremy Clarkson can be backed at 1000/1. While former Premier League maverick Royston Drenthe is priced at 500/1.
Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig's successor is yet to be named(Image: Universal Pictures)
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While Bond is known for his cunning and intelligence, Rooney argued that people who perceive him as a bit dim are wrong.
He said: “It's no secret that I didn't even take GCSEs but I think people assume because of that that I'm not educated, which is really wrong.
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“I made a conscious effort when I was at Everton and Manchester United to educate myself in a lot of different things, such as black history and religion. The reason I did that was because I wanted to hold conversations with my team-mates who are from different backgrounds.
“That was something I did to help me with my team-mates and help understand how they have been brought up. That's probably something people don't understand about me.”