Wayne Rooney has revealed he possesses Jewish ancestry from his mother's side of the family after visiting Auschwitz. The former Manchester United and England captain made the discovery in his new Disney+ docu-series, The Real Rooneys, which premiered on Thursday.
Family Roots Revealed in Documentary
The 10-part show gives an inside look into the life of Rooney, his wife Coleen and their four sons, Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. In the fourth episode, Rooney admitted he recently found out his maternal grandmother's family were Polish Jews.
He said: "I've recently found out that my mum's mum, so my nan's, family were Polish Jews." An off-camera producer told him: "Technically, if that's true, you're actually Jewish," due to the tradition of Jewish faith being passed down through the mother's lineage.
Faith and Auschwitz Experience
Rooney opened up about his religious faith, replying: "I'm Catholic. But then I've always asked questions like, 'Why aren't we Jewish?'" The 40-year-old was asked if he'd be keen to learn more about his ancestry and whether it could lead to a spin-off show, to which he joked: "Roo the Jew?"
The family's trip to Auschwitz, the largest Nazi German concentration and extermination camp complex, was not Rooney's first visit. He first made the journey in 2012 with several England team-mates during Euro 2012, held in Poland and Ukraine.
Speaking at the time about witnessing the tragic location, he said: "I'm a parent and it's tough to see what happened there. You've seen the amount of children who died. You see the children's clothes and shoes, it's really sad. You have to see it first-hand."
Life Beyond Management
The docu-series addresses a wide range of topics, including the difficulties Wayne and Coleen have endured in their 24-year relationship, and begins with the aftermath of Rooney's sacking from Plymouth Argyle in December 2024. His seven-month stint with the club remains his last managerial position.
Rooney admitted a return to the dugout is unlikely, revealing: "There is a big possibility I'll never manage again. It's the first time really that I'm probably not going to be involved in football. I'm stepping away from the thing I've loved doing my whole life."
He has since stepped further into punditry work and hosts The Wayne Rooney Show on the BBC and Stick to United with Wayne Rooney, the latter co-hosted by YouTuber Mark Goldbridge.
