Wayne Rooney has fired back at Birmingham City minority owner and former NFL star Tom Brady after the American previously questioned his ‘work ethic’.
Rooney, 39, managed just 15 matches for the Blues in what was a disastrous spell 83-day spell for the former Manchester United star at St. Andrew’s two seasons ago.
Under his tutelage, the Blues took a mere 10 points from a possible 45, losing nine games and winning just two before he was sacked in January 2024.
In a documentary entitled Built In Birmingham: Brady And The Blues, which was released on August 1, the ex-New England Patriots quarterback told his business manager Ben Rawitz: ‘I’m a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic.’
Those comments spread like wildfire on social media, with fans accusing Brady of ‘disrespecting’ the former England captain.
Now, Rooney has retorted with comments of his own, saying on his new podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, as he told BBC Sport: ‘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.’
‘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.’
Although he responded in fiery fashion to Brady’s comments, Rooney made it clear that he does not hold a grudge over them.
He added: ‘Listen, I respect Tom Brady massively.
‘He’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest athletes of all time and Birmingham do look like they’re getting it right now, which is good.
‘And I think what they have done is got the players out that they needed to get out.’
Rooney took over at Birmingham in October 2023 after John Eustace was dismissed despite leading the club to sixth place in the Championship at the time.
However, he was adamant that the quality of the players at the club meant results were destined to decline under his stewardship
He continued: ‘When I went into Birmingham, they were in a mess really.
‘Hence the fact that the players weren’t really the players who could take the club forward.
‘You had Tony Mowbray, Gary Rowett after me, who also struggled as well.’
Fans have also been quick to comment on Brady’s perceived lack of football knowledge, after he reflected on the rise of the game’s most talented youngsters.
During an appearance on the Men In Blazers podcast, Brady stated that the US needs ‘a young phenom like a Lamine Yamal‘, which is not an opinion many would disagree with, as he is a Ballon d’Or contender at just 18 years old.
Brady told the Men in Blazers Podcast: ‘I think the reality for most athletes in America is these other sports just become very dominant because of culturally what’s on television all the time.
‘And what’s being talked about in the schoolyard often ends up being talked about American football, basketball, baseball, hockey.
‘And it’s an amazing sport. It’s a global sport. It’s the biggest sport in the world. We all love it. And the reality is, you think about boxing, when there’s an American heavyweight, everyone in America is all in on it.
‘And we need the youth in America in soccer. We need a young phenom like a Lamine Yamal, a young Lionel Messi, to take over. And I believe that there will be the most amazing kind of cultural revolution for soccer here in America.
‘We love rooting for winners. We love rooting for the best of the best. The World Cup is coming to America in 2026. You can’t imagine the fanfare when that happens. Every stadium will be sold out. The American audience loves it.’
This is not exactly what many would call a unique perspective, given Messi is regarded as the best player of this generation, while Barcelona’s Yamal has drawn comparisons to the great Argentinian already at such a young age.
Fans were quick to poke fun at Brady for the comment on social media, with one user sarcastically claiming, ‘my boy Tom knows ball’.
Not all supporters took the humourous route in their responses, though, with many being much more direct.
One wrote: ‘Every national team needs a young Lionel Messi.’ Meanwhile, another said similarly, ‘Every team in the world needs a player like Yamal, what’s new?’
It was also clocked that Brady got Yamal’s name wrong, instead getting the starting letters of both his first name and surname the wrong way around, accidentally calling him ‘Yamine Lamal’.
This is not the first time that Brady has hit the footballing headlines recently after his criticism of former Birmingham head coach Wayne Rooney came to light in a five-part Amazon Prime series ‘Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues’.
In it, Brady admits to being worried about the dedication of the Manchester United legend during his disastrous spell at St Andrews. Rooney was sacked in January last year, lasting just 15 matches in the Blues’ dugout.
The fly-on-the-wall documentary shows Brady visiting the Birmingham training ground to observe Rooney’s team meeting and training session. While driving away, he tells his business manager Ben Rawitz: ‘I’m a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic.’
