How Wayne Rooney almost joined Barcelona in 2010

Updated: 02 Apr, 2025 • 0 • min read

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How Wayne Rooney almost joined Barcelona in 2010

Photo: PA

Wayne Rooney has revealed that he seriously considered a move to Barcelona during a contract standoff with Manchester United in 2010.

Rooney publicly declared his intention to quit United in October 2010 and was ready to leave Old Trafford, alerting Premier League rivals and Europe's elite.

The former England forward has claimed that he had offers from major clubs, including Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Barcelona.

And Rooney has admitted that, for a couple of days at least, he particularly considered a move to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

He was drawn to the idea of playing alongside Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, and Sergio Busquets.
READ MORE: Wayne Rooney wants to become Man Utd or Everton manager

In a column for BBC Sport, Rooney wrote:

When I told Manchester United in 2010 that I did not want to sign a new deal and put in a transfer request, three clubs came in for me.

Manchester City are often talked about as being one of them, but I don't think that was ever an option for me - the teams who made an approach were Chelsea, Real and Barcelona.

In my head, I was ready to go and play in Spain and some talks did take place.

A deal with Real looked more likely for a couple of days but it was Barcelona whom I thought about the most, and how I might fit into their side alongside Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, and Sergio Busquets.

In the end I decided to stay at United, but Barça had an incredible team then and any player would have loved to have played in it.

Rooney eventually signed a new five-year contract and stayed at United until 2017.

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