Wayne Rooneys glittering spell at Manchester United produced five Premier League titles, a Champions League crown and a haul of unforgettable goals.
But according to the clubs record scorer, the secret ingredient behind Sir Alex Fergusons dominant side wasnt tactics or training it was playing on the PlayStation.
Speaking on his BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show, the 38-year-old revealed that much of the teams bond was forged not on the pitch, but on the road. The players regularly played SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs on the PlayStation Portable, turning long journeys into fierce five-versus-five battles.
"I really believe a big part of our success was playing on the PSP," Rooney said. "It got us communicating more.
"We used to play it on the plane, on the team bus," he explained. "It would be me, Rio [Ferdinand], Michael Carrick, John OShea, Wes Brown. You have to talk, you have to tactically be right, go and revive people when they get killed, and it was a massive part of our success. Ask any of those players it was brilliant."
Rooney added that his teammates styles in the game often mirrored their personalities on the pitch.
Michael Carrick was a little sneaky, calm one. Youd be lying down hiding and suddenly hear a grenade bounce nearby hed thrown it," he said. "I was just all in, frontline of the trenches, straight in there."
So while Fergusons legendary leadership and the squads quality remain undisputed, Rooney insists that SOCOM and the PlayStation may just have played an underrated role in creating one of footballs most dominant dynasties.
Who'd have thought?
READ THE LATEST FASHION, CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE CONTENT FROM 90MIN
feed
