Wayne Rooney, 41, Calls Out Jamie Carragher for a Boxing Match

• Wayne Rooney, 41, has called out Jamie Carragher for a boxing match at his uncle’s gym in Croxteth, per the Mirror.
• Rooney boxed until he was 15, when Everton told him to stop, and says the sport helped him play for the club at 16.
• Carragher’s own week brought a different fight, as Aston Villa dropped a legal threat against him.

From Croxteth to a Carragher Showdown

Wayne Rooney has a message for Jamie Carragher and wants it passed on. Standing inside Croxteth Amateur Boxing Club, the gym founded by his uncle Richie Rooney, the former Manchester United and Everton striker turned to a Queensberry camera and said he would “love to get you in the ring”. Rooney is 41. Carragher, the Liverpool legend and television pundit, is seven years older. The challenge arrived with no date, no venue and no reply from the man it was aimed at.

A Camera, a Gym and a Name

Rooney went to the club to back two local fighters, Jack Turner and Oliver Jones, who belong to Frank Warren’s Queensberry stable. Queensberry captured the visit, and Rooney used it to speak straight to Carragher, addressing him as Carra and asking the camera to pass the word on.

He also talked to Queensberry about the sport itself. Rooney loves boxing and loves watching it, but he said he “wasn’t good enough” to make a career of it, and he ties the gym to where he comes from.

The boxing background gives him a case. Rooney kept fighting until he was 15, when Everton told him to hang up his gloves. At 16 he was in the first team, announcing himself with that goal against champions Arsenal in 2002. Rooney credits boxing for helping him make his Premier League debut at such a young age. He says it helped his legs grow, and a footballer needs that for power.

The Knockout He Turned Into a Celebration

His record with the gloves in later years is harder to sell. In 2015 Rooney was knocked out by then United teammate Phil Bardsley in an impromptu sparring session at his Cheshire home. Footage of the incident reached social media, and Rooney answered on the pitch by pretending to be knocked out when he celebrated his next goal.

Talk of a boxing future has followed him for years. He has been linked with the Misfits Boxing promotion, and last year former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny challenged him to a bout. Nothing came of it.

Carragher Was Already in One Fight

Carragher meets this challenge in the middle of a row of his own. On the Stick To Football podcast he told Villa fans to shut up after facing criticism for suggesting Unai Emery should take the United job if Michael Carrick is sacked. Aston Villa threatened to sue him over his remarks. Carragher then apologised on social media and admitted that his language was “clumsy and wrong”. His apology to Aston Villa came within a day of the club’s threat, and Villa have now dropped the legal action.

Rooney is a close friend of United head coach Michael Carrick, and in October he criticised Manchester United’s players on the United Stand podcast after the 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como.

What Happens Next

For now this is a challenge and nothing more. Rooney has named his opponent. Carragher has to decide whether to answer.

Rooney is the younger man by seven years and has the boxing background. Carragher has the pundit’s seat, a fresh apology to Aston Villa and a former Everton and United striker asking him to step into a ring.

WRITTEN BY

George Howson

George Howson is a Futbol Chronicle contributor and accredited journalist with over 20 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, George has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing deep knowledge and first-hand insight to every match report and analysis he writes.

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