Manchester United’s glory years under Sir Alex Ferguson were built on trophies, talent, and… a PlayStation?
Wayne Rooney has revealed a surprising secret behind the club’s golden era, and it’s one that will make gamers smile.
According to United’s all-time top scorer, a portable video game played a bigger role than most would believe in keeping the squad connected and sharp during their title-winning days.
Rooney, who helped the Red Devils claim five Premier League crowns and a Champions League medal, shared the story on his BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show.
He explained that long trips on planes and buses became a playground for team bonding. The game of choice was SOCOM, a five-versus-five army shooter on the PlayStation Portable.
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What Wayne Rooney said?
Forget match tactics for a moment — this was all about virtual warfare.
Rooney described how teammates like Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, John O’Shea, and Wes Brown would lock in for heated sessions.
“I really believe a big part of our success was playing on the PSP,” Rooney said. “It got us communicating more – we used to play it on the plane, on the team bus.”
The battles weren’t just fun. Players had to revive teammates, plan flanks, and give constant instructions.
That, Rooney insists, mirrored the communication they carried onto the pitch. “You have to talk, you have to tactically be right, go and revive people when they get killed and it was a massive part of our success – ask any of those players, it was brilliant,” he added.
Rooney even linked personalities to playing styles. “Michael Carrick was a little sneaky calm one, you would be lying down hiding and you’d hear a little grenade bouncing by where he’d thrown it. I was just all in, straight in, frontline of the trenches, get in there.”
Not everyone enjoyed the noise, though. “Edwin van der Sar used to get annoyed, because we’re on the team bus and there’s just shouting all over the place. Sometimes if they have got one player left, you communicate, so you flank them, go and get them. Van der Sar used to get annoyed and move, he used to try and get as far away from us as possible!”
Who knew United’s secret weapon wasn’t just Ferguson’s hairdryer but a handheld console? For Rooney and company, SOCOM wasn’t only a game — it was team chemistry with extra lives.
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