'I don't want it!' - Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney REJECTS 'undeserved' 2012 Premier League winners' medal giveaway as Man City face unprecedented title-stripping threat
Rooney distances himself from medal debate
Manchester City's guilty verdict regarding their numerous financial breaches has sparked intense debate over the legitimacy of their past triumphs. The unprecedented ruling has left fans, players, and pundits questioning how the club's dominant era between 2009 and 2018 will be recorded in football history.
With the possibility of the Premier League stripping City of their titles, campaigns have emerged demanding retrospective justice for the runners-up. However, Rooney has firmly distanced himself from the growing calls to reassign the 2011-12 crown to Manchester United.
The Red Devils famously lost the title on goal difference on the final day of that campaign, following Sergio Aguero's dramatic late winner against Queens Park Rangers. Despite the heartbreak, Rooney remains adamant that Sir Alex Ferguson's side did not do enough to earn the trophy.
'I wouldn't feel comfortable'
Speaking on Stick To United, the former England captain addressed the ongoing discourse and made his stance clear. "I have heard Rio has come out saying about getting another Premier League medal... I wouldn't really feel comfortable accepting another Premier League medal, if I'm being honest," Rooney admitted. "I don't think we deserve it, we didn't do enough that season to win the league. I think we were six or seven points clear with four or five games to go and we threw it away."
Rooney also expressed sympathy for the City squad, suggesting they were likely oblivious to any off-field transgressions. "I've seen everything that has come out over the past few days and listening to people and I was putting myself in a Man City player's shoes... they're players, they're doing everything they can to try and win the Premier League title and in their mind they have done it," he said. "If those players have no understanding of what is going on above them, if that happened to me... I would be absolutely devastated."
He concluded by cementing his position on retrospective awards. "It might happen, they might take them [medals] away, but I wouldn't want it [a medal] because I don't think as a team we deserved it that year because obviously we didn't finish first," Rooney added. "So when I see team-mates saying 'I want a medal', I'm happy with the five I've won. I wouldn't want this one. Should they get it stripped for what the owners have done? Yeah maybe, but I wouldn't feel comfortable accepting it."
Former team-mates demand justice
Rooney's comments strike a stark contrast to the reactions of his former colleagues. Following the guilty verdict, David de Gea took to X to ask: "So... Let's talk. How many Premier League titles have I won then?"
Rio Ferdinand echoed a similar sentiment, declaring on social media that another medal would be "added to the cabinet." The former centre-back even took the debate a step further, jokingly demanding that former City defender Joleon Lescott hand over his prize.
"Next time Joleon's on, he better bring my b****y medal," Ferdinand quipped. "If you're found guilty, then I think you should have to give the medals back." He added that he plans to confront Lescott directly, stating: "Just hand over the trophy. Hand over the medals, hand over the trophy. Simple as."
Awaiting official sanctions
The footballing world now waits to see exactly how the Premier League will penalise Manchester City. While fines or relegation remain possibilities, the severity of the breaches means stripping past titles is a genuine threat. Until a definitive ruling on retrospective punishments is delivered, the debate over reassigning medals will continue to divide opinions.
