- Wayne Rooney met Donald Trump during his time at DC United
- The retired footballer enjoyed a round of golf with the former US president
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Wayne Rooney has opened up about his remarkable encounters with Donald Trump, including a trip to the Oval Office and a ‘crazy’ round of golf with the former US president.
The former England captain visited the White House during his brief playing stint in Major League Soccer with DC United, which also coincided with Trump’s term as president.
Rooney scored 25 goals in 52 appearances in the country’s capital between July 2018 and January 2020.
But the 38-year-old also enjoyed the surreal experience of golfing with Trump, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the president’s security detail.
“The craziest thing about it was we had Giuliani in the buggy behind us, and there were like 50 to 100 golf buggies at the time and they were all secured.” Rooney told it former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville.
Wayne Rooney has spoken about his remarkable encounters with Donald Trump in the US
The former England captain even enjoyed a ‘crazy’ game of golf with the then US president
“There was a boat in the lake with snipers, there were snipers in the bushes, and I thought, ‘What’s going on here?!’
Rooney had previously met Trump after the commander-in-chief asked him to give football advice to his teenage son, Barron.
Barron, who was about 12 at the time, is a football fan and had reportedly played for DC’s youth team.
“He asked me to give his son football lessons,” Rooney added.
“(Barron) said, ‘Do you want to see my dad?’ He took me to the Oval office and from there his PA texted: ‘Would you like to play a few holes?’
Rooney – pictured in 2018 – was asked to give football lessons to Trump’s son, Barron (right)
“There was a boat in the lake with snipers, there were snipers in the bushes,” Rooney revealed
In December 2018, Rooney and his wife Coleen were Trump’s guests of honor at the White House Christmas party.
It was claimed at the time that Rooney and his family had been personally invited by the then president. The Rooney family was given a tour of Trump’s private quarters.
Meanwhile, in April 2017, Barron was pictured on the White House lawn during the Easter Egg Roll wearing a full Arsenal kit.
Neville asked his old teammate if Trump could understand his Scouse accent. ‘Is this the first time someone from Liverpool has been in the Oval office?’ the former England defender also joked.