In a surprising revelation, Wayne Rooney has shared that a classic video game was one of the unlikely secrets behind Manchester United’s success. Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show podcast for the BBC, the legendary striker revealed that he and his teammates spent hours playing SOCOM on the PlayStation Portable (PSP), and it actually helped improve their communication both off and on the pitch.

Rooney explained that during his time at United, he and his teammates used to play 5 vs. 5 matches on SOCOM while traveling. They would play it on the plane and even on the team bus, and it’s something that was a big part of their success. They used to play it so much that Edwin van der Sar, the team’s goalkeeper, would often get frustrated with all the noise. 

“I really believe a big part of our success was playing on the PSP,” said Rooney. “It got us communicating more – we used to play it on the plane, on the team bus.”

For those who don’t know, SOCOM is a tactical shooter game that relies heavily on teamwork. Rooney claimed that the habits formed while playing the game, such as constantly communicating, developing tactical strategies, and helping each other out, carried over to the football pitch.  

“It would be me, Rio [Ferdinand], Michael Carrick, John O’Shea, 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, it was brilliant.”

Rooney also noted how the way his teammates played SOCOM often mirrored how they approached football. He claimed that Michael Carrick was a little sneaky and calm player, always keeping a cool head in the game, just as he did in the midfield. Rooney, on the other hand, admitted he would often go all in with an aggressive playstyle, something he was known for on the pitch.