Gary Neville was left gobsmacked when Wayne Rooney revealed how much he earned on his biggest contract at Manchester United.
The former England striker is their all-time record scorer on 253 goals and regarded as one of the best players in Premier League history.
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Rooney cemented himself as a United and Premier League iconCredit: Getty
Rooney won five Premier League titles and the Champions League and numerous other honours during his 13 seasons at Old Trafford.
He was a consistent starter for United and became a superstar in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, for both club and country.
It therefore comes as no surprise that Rooney was handsomely paid by United.
But when asked about his biggest contract at the club on The Overlap, his answer even left former teammate Neville in clear shock.
What was Rooney’s biggest United contract?
“Wayne’s being quiet about contracts, yeah, we’ll get yours on the table,” Roy Keane, who previously discussed his contracts, joked.
Neville then asked: “You might not want to answer this, but you also might want to take it out even if you do answer it, what would your biggest contract have been at United?
“Because I’m your teammate, 2010/11, I’m on £1.75million [per year], I’m captain…”
“Biggest? Probably about £17million-a-year,” Rooney responded.
Neville had his jaw dropped and with a slight grin, he said: “I think I should have got paid a little bit more!”
Jamie Carragher, who also seemed to be shocked, asked: “Did you say one seven, or seven?”
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Rooney revealing how much he was on at Old Trafford appeared to catch Neville off guard
Rooney confirmed it was in fact £17m, then appeared to point to his off-camera agent Paul Stretford and suggest it was thanks to him.
“All that stuff I said over the years about not needing an agent, you need a f****** agent!” Neville quipped. “That’s unbelievable Wazza.”
Neville didn’t worry about ‘the money side’
Neville is a United legend in his own right, having made 602 appearances across all competitions from 1992 to 2011.
He is an eight-time Premier League champion and two-time Champions League winner with his boyhood club.
However, whilst he was also a huge part of their domestic and European success, Neville wasn’t too concerned about his wages.
“I remember… Did you sign a seven-year contract?” Carragher asked him after learning about Rooney’s contract.
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Rooney and Neville had very different contracts at UnitedCredit: Getty
“It was never a focus for me…” Neville said. “I never, ever once worried about the money side of it.
“I thought, ‘If I can get to the end of my career at 35, 36 at Manchester United, I know I’ll be alright, I know I’ll be alright.’
“Now, I won’t earn as much money by signing these long-term contracts but I thought, my post-football career, I thought being a one-club man, being at United, was the right thing to do.
“When they offered me a seven-year contract at lower money, it was better for me than going for four years or three years at higher money and thinking my contract’s going to run out.”