Wayne Rooney remains one of the most recognisable faces in English football history thanks to his glittering career with Manchester United over the 2000s and 2010s.
The forward-turned-midfielder held the all-time goalscoring record for both Manchester United and England during his playing days, lifting five Premier League titles and a Champions League before retiring in 2021.
However, Rooney's performances were not the only thing keeping him in the headlines throughout his career following a number of high-profile mishaps off the field.
Wayne Rooney tipped to fight Jake Paul by former team-mate
The 39-year-old hit the front pages in 2015 after a video was released to the public showing him being knocked out in his own kitchen by former United teammate Phil Bardsley, leading to intense scrutiny from the British media.
Speaking on the now infamous video, Bardsley told OLBG: "We had no idea that the boxing clip would go viral because we didn’t even know it was being filmed! It then got released and sold and it was just one of those things, we’d probably had one too many drinks and then got the gloves out."
He added: "People sometimes forget that we are just normal lads from normal backgrounds and that’s just what lads do sometimes. We had a swing and chinned each other a few times, we both like our boxing and I got the better of him on that occasion."
However, Bardsley has tipped Rooney to put his boxing skills to good use, suggesting he should fight internet sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who has become a household name after a number of high-profile bouts in recent years.
"Wayne Rooney vs Jake Paul would definitely sell out Wembley," Bardsley said. "You can imagine the audience that would bring in, both in person and online as well.
"The younger generation would be mad on all the build up and the clips on their phones, the influencer boxing scene is huge and they’re filling their pockets now.
"Would Wayne beat Jake Paul? It’s tricky because Jake Paul has done it for a long time now and Wayne hasn’t done it at that level in front of a huge audience. He played football in front of millions before Jake Paul was on the scene but fair play to him, now he is doing it on the big stage and getting paid fortunes."
Paul is currently preparing for a historic fight against former Heavyweight champions and boxing icon Mike Tyson, meanwhile, Rooney's Plymouth side appear to have overcome a difficult start to the season, now sitting outside of the Championship relegation zone.
