Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has said his former club does not deserve to be awarded retrospective Premier League titles if Manchester City are stripped of honours following a landmark financial verdict. A disciplinary commission determined that City breached financial regulations across the majority of 115 charges filed by league authorities. The rulings address documentation spanning the 2009-10 through 2017-18 campaigns, alongside allegations of non-cooperation between 2018 and 2023.
Official sanctions have not yet been announced.
Speaking on a club-focused media platform, the 40-year-old former striker said accepting a reassigned medal would feel fundamentally wrong after finishing second during the 2011-12 season. Rooney scored 253 goals in 559 appearances for United and captured five league titles during his tenure at Old Trafford. He stressed that players on the pitch gave everything to compete without insight into executive financial structures, adding that losing titles years later would devastate any squad. The Manchester side intends to appeal the decision before an independent tribunal.
Rooney nevertheless argued that the club should face demotion to lower divisions.
The stance contrasts with former United teammates Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea, who both suggested on social media that previous runners-up should receive formal recognition. Former Stoke City manager Tony Pulis also stated publicly that he felt cheated regarding his team`s defeat in the 2011 FA Cup final. Rooney reiterated that he remains fully content with the five medals earned during his playing career and would decline receiving an award for a second-place finish fifteen years later.
Turning to disciplinary measures, Rooney urged authorities to place the club into the lowest professional tier possible to prevent an immediate return. He proposed substantial spending restrictions alongside multi-season point deductions to enforce genuine parity. Without severe structural sanctions beyond a single-tier drop, the former England captain warned that financial powerhouses would simply absorb initial penalties and return to dominance.
