Wayne Rooney has revealed the bizarre details of his impromptu meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, which included discussions of nuclear attacks.
The Manchester United icon spent a year playing in the United States towards the latter stages of his career, joining Major League Soccer side D.C. United in 2018 and making 52 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Rooney didn’t spend long in North America as he joined Derby County as a player-coach in 2019, but still managed to play a surprise round of golf with Trump.
FREE NEWSLETTER. New SI FC Newsletter Global Embed. Sign Up to Get Informed With SI FC. dark
Recalling the incident on the Sky TV show A League of Their Own, Rooney divulged the strange and unexpected nature of his meeting with the President.
Trump made quite the impression on Rooney. / Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“When he was President the first time, I went to play golf. My friend was over from Manchester. We went to play golf at his course and when we got there, there were sniffer dogs and there was security everywhere,” said the ex-England international.
“And he said, ‘The President’s coming in, he’s playing with you.’ We’re playing with snipers everywhere. There’s all kinds. It was surreal. There were three big Escalades there. And one of them had a box on the back.
“So, I said to him, ‘What’s that for?’. He said if there’s a nuclear attack, he gets put in that and airlifted out. So I was like, ‘What happens to us?’. He was like, ‘You are f—–!’”
Rooney evidently wasn’t dissuaded from continuing his career in the United States as he briefly reunited with D.C. United when he became their manager midway through 2022. However, he only lasted a little over a year before parting ways with the capital side.
The 40-year-old was also once invited alongside his family to the White House during his spell in the United States, with Trump even asking the former striker to coach his son Barron.
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION
