Asked to pick a fantasy five-a-side team from teammates he actually played with, Wayne Rooney went heavy on Manchester United and slipped in a surprise from Merseyside. This was on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast on September 24th, where Ferdinand and Rooney revisited old combinations.
Rooney’s selection is on track with his illustrious career chemistry at Old Trafford and Everton. He played 242 games alongside Paul Scholes, 278 with Ryan Giggs, 266 with Michael Carrick, and 205 with Cristiano Ronaldo.
His fifth came as a curveball: Thomas Gravesen, the now-retired fiery Dane who was bought for Everton in July 2000 and left for Real Madrid in January 2005. But the blend makes sense if you know Rooney’s reference points and the partnerships that defined his career.
Some fans will inevitably try to turn Rooney’s five into a slip: Scholes to steer tempo, Carrick to shield and pass, Giggs to create space and opportunities, Ronaldo to finish, and Gravesen for his disruptive energy. For punters who are building sensible combos, guides to bet in the UK explain accas and same-game bet builders clearly. This can help you stack logic rather than chasing long shots: a strong choice such as Rooney’s prioritises control and end product, rather than stardom.
Gravesen is a texture choice. After Everton took him from Hamburg for £2.5 million back in July 2000, he quickly became a cult figure for his intensity. The six-month period before Madrid recruited him in 2005 is still often recalled because of his brilliant play. His nickname, Mad Dog, captures the disruptive energy that Rooney seems to value as complementary to passers and match-winners.
This latest reflection lands as another mark in Rooney’s post-playing chapter, which keeps evolving. Since Rooney officially retired on 15 January 2021, he immediately took on the Derby County job on a permanent basis, in a clean handover from locker room to technical area. The move formalised what many expected: a competitor channelling sharp, real-time reads of games into management.
After the Derby County appointment, he has taken on various demanding public roles. Appointed as head coach for Plymouth Argyle in May 2024, he departed by mutual consent on the 31st of December the same year, after a very difficult run. But managerial trajectories rarely follow a straight line. The club’s statement was brief, and the takeaways for Rooney clear: his appetite for football remains, but his next move will depend on fit and timing.
In the meantime, Rooney has appeared in several media roles, and interest from broadcasters suggests his analysis carries weight. This is even though he keeps an eye out for managerial and coaching roles.
Now, if you read the five-a-side pick again in the above context, Rooney’s logic makes more sense. Scholes for timed control, Carrick for angles and protection, Giggs for incision from wide, Ronaldo for scoring, and Gravesen for the messier moments that decide tight games. Rooney’s pick is a coach’s sketch as much as a former striker’s nostalgia, but built to win small spaces and short matches.
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