Wayne Rooney has revealed he turned to alcohol to cope with the pressures of professional football, describing two-day drinking binges alone at home. The former Manchester United and England striker, now 36, said he was unprepared for the scrutiny that came with his rise from a Liverpool council estate to becoming a Premier League player at 16 and an international star.
In an interview ahead of an Amazon Prime documentary about his life, Rooney said he would lock himself away during breaks to drink excessively. “It was like a binge. Normally, that’s with a group of lads but this was a self-binge … I would sit in the house and for two days I would just drink,” he told the Mail on Sunday.
Rooney explained that the drinking was a response to the buildup of pressure from playing for club and country, as well as media coverage of his personal life. He said his struggles with alcohol continued until the birth of his first son in 2009. He added that he has since learned to manage his anger by recognising when he needs to talk to someone.
Reflecting on the culture in football, Rooney said it would have been impossible to share his feelings in the Manchester United dressing room at the time, but noted that players are now “more empowered” to speak about mental health. He admitted that growing up on a council estate, he felt unable to ask for help and tried to cope alone.
