English football legend Wayne Rooney has admitted that he believes he might not be alive today if not for his wife, Coleen, who helped him overcome his struggles with alcohol.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the former England and Manchester United star told his friend and former teammate Rio Ferdinand that at the peak of his career, he would “drink for two days straight.”
Recalling that period, the 39-year-old said his routine was: “come training and at the weekend I’d score two goals and then I’d go back and go and drink for two days straight again.”
He credited his wife with stepping in to manage his behavior. “She helped me control that massively and managed me because I needed managing,” Rooney said, adding, “I honestly believe, if she weren’t there, I’d be dead.”
Rooney recalled meeting Coleen when they were secondary school students in Liverpool and marrying her in 2008 after six years of dating. He noted that she saw his issues early on.
“When I was 17, she could see, she knew my mind and she knew I was a bit out there,” he said. “I loved my football, obsessed with football, but also I loved a night out or whatever, going out. She’s seen it very early on and she’s controlled that. Well, not controlled, but helped me control that massively.”
Rooney also revealed that during his time playing for Manchester United, he would attempt to hide his drinking sessions from manager Sir Alex Ferguson by chewing gum and using eye drops.
The couple, who have four children, have faced several public incidents related to Rooney’s infidelity and alcohol use, for which he has issued public apologies. He was famously arrested for drink-driving in Cheshire in 2017, pleading guilty, and was subsequently banned from driving for two years and fined by his then-team, Everton. He was also arrested for “public intoxication” in the US a year later and paid a fine.
Having recently left his role as head coach at Plymouth Argyle, Rooney now hosts his own BBC podcast and works as a pundit on Match Of The Day.
