Rooney Admits to His Biggest Mistake

The following is an excerpt from Wayne Rooney’s new book, ‘My Decade in the Premier League by Wayne Rooney’, which is being published in the Mirror.

Here Rooney discusses that low point:

“In September 2010 my ankle puts me on the sidelines. I get frustrated with myself, my game, my injury, and everything around me. I’m stuck in a cycle of bad form but I can’t get out of it. And that’s when I make the biggest mistake of my football career. In October, I release a statement which publicly questions my happiness at Old Trafford. Am I better off elsewhere? Everyone makes a fuss. There are discussions inside United to sort out the issue, people outside United chuck their opinions around, but the thing is, nobody really knows what’s going on in my life. None of them understand where I am in my career, they don’t know where my head’s at. The only person who really knows what’s going on in there is me, but even I’m not sure what I want. Then the manager has his say. ‘Sometimes you look in a field and you see a cow and you think it’s a better cow than the one you have in your own field. And it never really works that way’. He’s saying the grass isn’t always greener, and he’s right. I like what’s in my field. I’m wrong. United want the same as me: trophies, success, to be the best. For six years, I’ve been lucky enough to win league titles and a Champions League trophy. I’ve been able to work alongside world-class players, not to mention the manager, the most successful club boss in the modern game. My mind goes into another spin. I feel gutted at what I’ve done. How stupid are you Wayne? When comes the moment of clarity. You love the club, you love the supporters. You respect the manager and he’s got you trophies and titles. You couldn’t be anywhere better. You’d be mad to leave. There’s no better place to play than United. It’s the biggest team in football. Our history is huge.”