Wayne Rooney says he feared he could have died or killed someone at the lowest point of his drinking problems.
The Derby County manager and record goalscorer for both Manchester United and England was speaking to BBC Breakfast’s Sally Nugent before the release of a new documentary about his life.
He revealed the darkest places that alcohol and mental health issues have taken him to, and when asked what his biggest fear was in those moments, he replied: “Probably death.”
Speaking about the “mistakes” he had made, the 36-year-old added:
“That could have been girls, it could have been drink-driving, which I’ve done, it could have been killing someone – you could kill yourself – and that’s a bad place to be.
“I knew I needed help, to save myself but also to save my family.”
Rooney also revealed that he felt he had to keep many of his problems secret as a player.
“Ten, 15 years ago, I couldn’t go into a dressing room and say ‘I’m struggling with alcohol, I’m struggling mental health-wise’. I couldn’t do that.”
