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Wayne Rooney\u2019s glittering spell at Manchester United produced five Premier League titles, a Champions League crown and a haul of unforgettable goals. <\/p>\n
But according to the club\u2019s record scorer, the secret ingredient behind Sir Alex Ferguson\u2019s dominant side wasn\u2019t tactics or training \u2013 it was playing on the PlayStation.<\/p>\n
Speaking on his BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show<\/em>, the 38-year-old revealed that much of the team\u2019s bond was forged not on the pitch, but on the road. The players regularly played SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs<\/em> on the PlayStation Portable, turning long journeys into fierce five-versus-five battles.<\/p>\n “I really believe a big part of our success was playing on the PSP,” Rooney said. “It got us communicating more.<\/p>\n “We used to play it on the plane, on the team bus,” he explained. “It would be me, Rio [Ferdinand], Michael Carrick, John O\u2019Shea, Wes Brown. 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 \u2013 it was brilliant.”<\/p>\n Rooney added that his teammates\u2019 styles in the game often mirrored their personalities on the pitch.<\/p>\n \u201cMichael Carrick was a little sneaky, calm one. You\u2019d be lying down hiding and suddenly hear a grenade bounce nearby \u2013 he\u2019d thrown it,” he said. “I was just all in, frontline of the trenches, straight in there.”<\/p>\n So while Ferguson\u2019s legendary leadership and the squad\u2019s quality remain undisputed, Rooney insists that SOCOM<\/em> and the PlayStation may just have played an underrated role in creating one of football\u2019s most dominant dynasties.<\/p>\n Who’d have thought?<\/p>\n