“To play for…”: Wayne Rooney names the one club he wishes he had joined

Wayne Rooney has opened up on the one move he wishes his career had included, even after winning it all at Manchester United. According to talkSPORT, the United legend says he regrets never pulling on the green and white of Celtic. It is a surprising admission from a player who lifted a host of major honours at Old Trafford and sits at the top of the club’s goalscorers list. Celtic Park dream Rooney is a boyhood Everton supporter, but his affection for the Glasgow giants has evidently remained with him throughout his career. Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, he remarked: “It’s well known that I am a Celtic fan, and it’s probably one of my regrets not playing for Celtic at some point.” The 40-year-old also discussed where this connection came from. In this case, pointing to the era of star forwards he watched in his youth. “Just growing up as a kid I’ve always liked Celtic. I’ve just always liked Celtic. My dad, my family, everything,” Rooney explained. Furthermore, he added: “When I was growing up, obviously there was Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton up top, John Hartson when he was there.” Additionally, the pull was strong enough for the former attacker that he imagined a late-career switch north of the border. “During the best part of my career I always thought I’d love to play for Celtic at the end of my career, and it obviously wasn’t to be,” he continued. Ibrox Stadium memory The former England international also revisited memories of his trip with United to face Rangers in the 2010 Champions League. “I am a big Celtic fan,” he insisted. “I went to Ibrox to watch the Old Firm and Celtic, so I sat in the Celtic end, and they [Rangers] were aware of that.” Moreover, the ex-Everton ace believes this background helped shape the reception he got on the night. “So when we went in 2010 they battered me,” Rooney noted. The former striker also referenced the pressure around his United future at the time. He argued it came soon after he asked to leave before signing a new deal. “We got a penalty, and I scored it so ran off celebrating, and it was a real hostile atmosphere,” Rooney recalled. The versatile superstar, who also played in midfield, went further and stated that the reaction continued away from the stadium: “It was when I was using Twitter quite a bit as well, and I got hammered on Twitter, so I was expecting it.” Rooney’s playing career later took him back to Merseyside, then to DC United, followed by Derby County, where he began his coaching career. His last managerial role ended at Plymouth Argyle in December 2024. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Okari Wambunya Okari Wambunya is a football writer at The Peoples Person, covering Manchester United with fast, accurate, and source-led news, analysis, opinions, team developments, injuries, press conferences, and matchday reactions. A former secondary school teacher, he now coaches college football (not soccer) and continues to support young people through academic mentoring and youth work. He holds a BA (Hons) in English from Brunel University London and an MA in Education from King’s College London, with experience across digital journalism and broadcast sports media. Okari first praised Michael Carrick in a blog post he wrote at 16-years-old in 2014; over a decade later, United appointing Carrick as interim head coach feels like a full-circle moment.