Wayne Rooney has been hailed for a striking transformation by football fans watching his BBC punditry at the World Cup, with viewers praising the Manchester United legend for appearing noticeably slimmer and fresh-faced after shaving off his beard.
The 40-year-old appeared alongside Gael Clichy and Olivier Giroud as part of the BBC’s team for France’s 3-1 victory over Senegal in New Jersey on Tuesday night, and his new look quickly became a talking point online.
“Is it me or has Rooney lost weight? Good on ya fella,” one viewer wrote. “Is it me or does Rooney look noticeably thinner? Looks better clean shaven too,” added another. A third posted: “Rooney looking proper healthy and noticeably lost loads of weight. Great to see.” One fan joked that Rooney had done everything right but been handed an unfortunate disadvantage by the BBC’s seating arrangements. “Got to feel a bit sorry for Wayne Rooney,” they wrote. “He’s lost a bit of weight, had a trim… and then the BBC makes him sit next to Olivier Giroud,” the Frenchman being widely regarded as one of football’s most handsome former players.
The refreshed appearance follows what appears to have been a restorative break for Rooney, who recently celebrated his and Coleen’s 18th wedding anniversary with a child-free trip to Ibiza, where Coleen showed off her tan at Playa d’en Bossa. The couple shared warm tributes to each other on social media, with Rooney writing: “Happy anniversary @coleen_rooney. Where’s them 18 years gone. Thanks for everything. Love you.”
It makes his current look all the more notable given a candid admission in his 2012 autobiography about the effect holidays have tended to have on his physique. Writing about his return to pre-season training in 2009 after United’s Champions League final defeat to Barcelona, Rooney revealed he stepped on the scales at Carrington and found he had gained seven pounds. “I’m like most blokes, I put on a few pounds after a holiday,” he wrote. “Even if I don’t train for a week, I put on two or three… Then I remember — I drank a few bevvies while I was away. I’m stocky. I’m not like Ryan Giggs, all bone and lean muscle. But I gain weight quite easily. It’s not a problem though. I know I can shift it in a week or two.”
On the evidence of Tuesday’s broadcast, it appears he has mastered the process rather more thoroughly this time around.
