A former Andorra player expressed his joy at the fact ex-England ace Wayne Rooney still has his shirt after swapping jerseys in an international game.
- Rooney swaps England shirt with Andorra player
- Admits he still keeps onto such jerseys
- Said Andorra player pipes up on social media
WHAT HAPPENED?
In September 2008, Andorra hosted England in a 2010 World Cup qualifier, with the Three Lions winning 2-0 thanks to a Joe Cole brace. Rooney played in that game, as did Andorra defender Ildefons Lima and at the full-time whistle, the pair swapped shirts following the centre-back’s request. Just under 16 years on, Rooney has revealed he still has that shirt at home – something Lima was overjoyed at.
WHAT ROONEY AND LIMA SAID
Rooney told BBC 5 Live Sport: “I always respected any player who asked for my shirt. Even to the point where we are playing Andorra and I remember one of the players came up and asked for my shirt and we swapped shirts. I’ve seen players where they just throw it into the kit and aren’t interested. Whereas I’d always show respect to him, take it home, and keep the shirt.”
He then confirmed an Andorra shirt is still somewhere in his house, prompting Lima to tweet: “Great news, @WayneRooney Still owns my shirt #andorra #rooney #matchwornshirt #respect.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
In a series of amusing tweets, the former Rayo Vallecano man, 44, then showed he also has Rooney’s England shirt from that day in his hefty football jersey collection. Incidentally, both tweets went viral on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
WHAT NEXT?
For Rooney, the 38-year-old – who was sacked by Birmingham City earlier this year – will be acting as a pundit for the BBC during this summer’s European Championship, before he prepares for life as Plymouth Argyle’s new manager.
