Wayne Rooney has revealed that he is deaf in his left ear.
The Manchester United legend shocked viewers on a Match of the Day ‘Behind the Scenes’ show as he admitted the issue affects his punditry.
Rooney, 40, has never previously spoken about his deafness and it is still not clear when or how he developed his auditory problem.
While filming a segment with the BBC crew, he asked for them to equip an earpiece in his right ear and not his left, leading to his announcement.
‘Can I do it in this ear?’ he said, pointing to his stronger one. ‘I used to close the talkback.
‘The problem is I’m deaf in my left ear.
Wayne Rooney has revealed that he is deaf in his left ear and that he can struggle to hear Match of the Day’s presenters
Rooney was a pundit on Match of the Day after Manchester United beat Man City 2-0
It was the perfect start to Michael Carrick’s time in charge of his former club
‘So when it’s too loud I struggle to hear what Kelly Cates [MOTD presenter] or whoever is saying.’
It is not clear how Rooney became deaf in his left ear, but in 2009 he did need 45 stitches in it after slipping on a luxury yacht in the French Riviera.
Rooney was on the Match of the Day panel on Saturday night, being jokingly introduced by host Mark Chapman as ‘John Rooney’s brother’.
His younger brother John has enjoyed his moment of fame after masterminding minnows Macclesfield’s shock FA Cup win against Crystal Palace earlier this month.
England legend Wayne had reason to celebrate on Saturday as his old club Manchester United came out winners in the Manchester derby.
In their first game managed by his old team-mate Michael Carrick, United beat Manchester City 2-0 at Old Trafford thanks to second-half goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu.
Praising the first goal on Match of the Day, Rooney said: ‘When we talk about Manchester United’s DNA, this is it.
Sprinting forward, we’ve seen so many Manchester United goals over the years exactly like this. Ball goes into Bruno [Fernandes], into [Bryan] Mbeumo, and a great finish.’
Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu were on the scoresheet to down City at Old Trafford
On Carrick, he added: ‘What a start for that man. There’s been a lot of talk this week a start he couldn’t have dreamed of.
‘That performance is the best I’ve seen from a Manchester United team in a long, long time.
‘When you ask why Manchester United need ex-players back, it’s because Michael Carrick knows the club, knows the culture, knows the DNA of the football club, and you saw that today. They were absolutely outstanding.’
Rooney joined Match of the Day over the summer and is believed to have signed a contract worth £800,000 per year. He also has a podcast with the BBC.
His transition from management to broadcasting comes after spells at Plymouth Argyle, Derby County, DC United and Birmingham City.
Rooney has made no secret of his enjoyment of punditry since stepping back from coaching, occasionally appearing on Amazon Prime Video for Champions League coverage last season.
Speaking to talkSPORT in June, he appeared to hint that his immediate future would involve more media work than management.
He told the radio station: ‘Obviously just doing some TV work at the minute, so that’s what I’m doing. I’m enjoying it. So, that’s where I’ll be.’
