Wayne Rooney has admitted that Liverpool’s Premier League title celebrations in 2020 caused such tension in his own home that he locked wife Coleen out of the house, with the pair clashing over flags.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside derby, the former Manchester United and Everton striker revealed that he took drastic action in 2020 after discovering Coleen had hung Liverpool flags outside their house to mark Jurgen Klopp’s side ending their 30-year wait for the title.
“It was our old house, and outside the front door there’s a little balcony,” Rooney said.
“Coleen put a Liverpool flag outside the window there, so I told her to take it down.
"She went up, climbed out of the window, and I locked her out. I let her back in not long after, but she was fuming.”
Rooney, 39, remains a staunch Evertonian despite his glittering career at Old Trafford and says the rivalry still runs through his family today.
“Even now, Coleen’s mum and dad have champion flags up at the house,” he added, suggesting the household will be firmly split again when Everton travel to Anfield this weekend.
The Merseyside derby remains one of English football’s fiercest fixtures, and Rooney knows better than most the pressure that comes with it.
Wayne Rooney and Coleen Rooney have been together since they were young
| GETTYThe boyhood Blue made his Premier League debut for David Moyes’ Everton in 2002 before enjoying two spells at Goodison Park either side of 13 years at Manchester United.
He featured seven times against Liverpool for Everton, but never experienced victory at Anfield.
“The build-up used to make me feel sick,” Rooney admitted.
“We didn’t win many, so when you do win them, you’ve got to enjoy it.
"The whole week was horrible – everyone at the training ground talking about it, the Evertonian staff building it up. "And if you lose, Liverpool fans rub it in your face.”
Rooney even confessed that during his second stint at Everton he banned derby coverage around the club’s training base to ease the tension.
“I made sure all the TVs were turned off so there was nothing about the game showing,” he said.
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Wayne Rooney wasn't happy with Coleen Rooney's plan following Liverpool's title celebrations in 2020
|GETTY
“I just wanted to forget about it until kick-off and go into the match clear-headed.”
Everton head to Anfield desperate to halt Liverpool’s perfect start to the season under Arne Slot, who has overseen four straight wins.
Moyes, who handed Rooney his debut, has yet to taste victory at Anfield in 22 previous visits and will be looking to deliver a statement result for a side sitting just outside the top half.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are chasing a fifth consecutive home win over their city rivals and have lost only once at Anfield to Everton in the last 25 years – a run that underlines the scale of the challenge Rooney’s boyhood club face.
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Wayne Rooney failed to win a Merseyside derby during his time as an Everton player
|PA
“It’s a massive game,” Rooney said.
“If you win, there’s no better feeling.”