‘Snipers in the bushes!’ – Wayne Rooney opens up on ‘mad’ golf round with Donald Trump & Rudy Giuliani during his MLS playing stint with D.C. United

The former England captain headed to the United States in 2018 after completing a second spell at boyhood club Everton. He made his way to the American capital and linked up with D.C. United – a club that he would later return to as manager.

During his initial stint in the States, which saw him operating in Washington as enigmatic businessman Trump filled the White House, Rooney enjoyed some VIP treatment as he took to the fairways with iconic figures from the world of politics.

One golf session saw Rooney play alongside Trump and former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani. That proved to be quite the experience, with United’s all-time leading goalscorer telling The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet: “[The most famous person I’ve played golf with is] Donald Trump. The maddest thing about it was we had Giuliani in the buggy behind us, then there were about 50-100 golf buggies that were all security. There was a boat in the lake with snipers, there were snipers in the bushes, and I was like ‘what’s going on here?!’”

Rooney returned to England in January 2020 at Derby County, before moving into coaching with the Rams. He hung up his boots in 2021 and, following a difficult spell at Tom Brady’s Birmingham, is back in management with Championship side Plymouth ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.