Why Wayne's world would be nothing without Coleen

The former England footballer has revealed how he reached rock bottom – and how, were it not for his wife, he would have perished. Jim White on where Rooney goes from here

- By Jim White

Wayne Rooney has a drink problem. This week he told his old teammate Rio Ferdinand on the latter's podcast that his relationship with booze had got so bad, it came close to killing him. In fact, he added, he reckoned he was only around to do the recording thanks to the intervention of his wife.

The news that the most talented English football player in a generation was in danger of drinking himself into an early grave will have come as little surprise to those who have watched his deterioration since he retired as a professional footballer in 2021. Seeing him on the touchline as manager of Plymouth Argyle last season, his eyes bleary, his stomach ballooning, his complexion blotched, was to be confronted by stark evidence of the damage the bottle was inflicting. Nor will the fact that he remains even more dependent on his strong, sparky wife raise too many eyebrows.

And the way things are going, he will need her for at least the next 20. The truth is, theirs is one of the most intriguingly symbiotic relationships in modern public life.

The pair met when Rooney was the most explosively talented teenage footballer around. In an era when wealthy players have long been easy prey for gold-diggers on the lookout for an extended payday, theirs was a relationship based on shared experience. They came from the same Liverpool neighbourhood, knew each other's families, shared the same tastes and sense of humour. This was a proper partnership. Rooney could trust her entirely. He needed to.