- Tom Brady, a minority owner of soccer club Birmingham City, made remarks about former England star and head coach Wayne Rooney, saying he was concerned about his “work ethic”.
- Rooney has responded to Brady’s claims, saying he didn’t think Brady “really understood football that well”.
- Rooney was fired in January 2024, but Birmingham was still relegated that season.
Wayne Rooney replied to Tom Brady’s remarks about his work ethic for the time the Englishman was the manager of Birmingham City, saying the quarterback didn’t understand football (soccer). Rooney clarified he still respected Brady.
Rooney was let go by Birmingham in January 2024, and the club was relegated later that season.
Rooney Also Claims Brady Comments Were “Very Unfair”
Brady, who won seven Super Bowls as a player in the NFL, is a minority owner at Birmingham, which he joined in August 2023. He made the comments during an episode of “Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues”, a docuseries on Amazon similar to “Welcome to Wrexham”. Brady said:
“I’m a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic. I mean, I don’t have great instincts on that.”
He also claimed that the players on the team were “lazy and entitled”. Rooney managed the team during the season in question, which was 2023-24, and responded on a podcast on the BBC.
Rooney replied:
“I think Tom came in once, which was the day before a game where the days are a little bit lighter anyway, and I don’t think he really understood football that well. But what he does understand is … he’s a hard worker – we know that.”
He continued with:
“Football is not NFL – NFL works for three months a year. Players do need rest as well, so I think he’s very unfair, the way he’s come out and portrayed that.”
Rooney was fired by Birmingham in January 2024 after winning just twice in their first 15 games. The club was eventually relegated to League One that season. However, Birmingham won League One by 19 points over Wrexham and were promoted back to the Championship. Soccer betting sites are favoring Birmingham to make it back to the Premier League for the first time since 2011.
Who Is Right: Tom Brady or Wayne Rooney?
Brady and Rooney are both sporting icons. Brady, of course, had his success in the NFL. He has now moved into ownership, purchasing small pieces of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. Brady also works for Fox Sports, commentating on NFL games.
Rooney is one of the greatest English soccer players of all time, winning five Premier Leagues and the Champions League with Manchester United. He is also Manchester United’s all-time top scorer with 253 goals, and second all-time for England with 53 goals.
Rooney does have a point when he said soccer is different from football, and maybe Brady did come in on a slow day, which skewed his opinion. But Brady also had a point when he said the players were lazy, and it proved to be right as they were relegated. Birmingham then cleaned house, spent money on new players, and routed League One.
Rooney might also be a poor manager. In stops at Derby County, D.C. United (in Major League Soccer), Birmingham, and Plymouth Argyle, his record is underwhelming. He has 45 wins, 46 draws, and 87 losses in 178 games, for a win rate of 25.3%. That’s not good enough for any manager.
We’ll wait to see if Brady responds to Rooney. A beef between two massive sporting icons is always interesting to watch!
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