Former England captain Wayne Rooney has come under fire from fans after controversially excluding Thomas Partey from his combined Real Madrid and Arsenal XI.
With top-tier players on both sides, picking a combined team was never going to be easy.
However, Rooney made some eyebrow-raising choices, most notably selecting Lucas Vázquez, who hasn’t regularly featured in that role for Carlo Ancelotti in recent months, over Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber, who has been a mainstay in the Gunners’ lineup throughout the 2024/25 season.
The decision that particularly sparked outrage was Rooney’s omission of Partey from the midfield.
Fans were quick to criticise the former Manchester United striker, with some questioning his football knowledge and others attributing his past coaching struggles to such decisions.
The Ghanaian midfielder was outstanding in the first leg against Real Madrid in London on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, earning widespread praise from fans and pundits alike.
The 31-year-old has featured in 30 Premier League games this season for Arsenal, scoring four goals and providing two assists.
Wayne Rooney’s combined XI for Arsenal vs Real Madrid:
Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vázquez, Antonio Rüdiger, William Saliba, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Eduardo Camavinga, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappé, and Vinícius Jr.
Read some of the comments below:
“Wayne Rooney’s managerial record shows 46 wins, 44 draws, and 87 losses in 177 games as a manager”. 🤣🤣🤣
— OyeLowo I. S (@Dshola05) April 14, 2025
I disagree with Vazquez over Timber, Camavinga over Partey, Rodrigo over Saka.
— Dr Ghaffar ODUWOLE (@tunde_odu) April 14, 2025
Camavinga over Partey…This man is not Ok. Fr, needs to be checked. Rodrigo and Vasquez over Saka and Timber. Anyways, it’s nice, love it that way
— F8 d gr8 (@Darasimich) April 14, 2025
This is why this guy failed as a coach
— Aydotcom (@lagosboy5050) April 14, 2025
Camavinga over Partey …no wonder he is a poor coach …..talk of Vazquez over Timber
— Son_Of_The_Ancestors (@Edwin_A_Benson) April 14, 2025
This is why he drags all teams he coaches to relegation 😂😂
No Timber
No partey.Rooney your next team will still sack you
— MR. KINGZ🤴🫵🏾 (@Moni_Kinggs) April 14, 2025
FKA
Meanwhile, watch part 2 of Sports Check with veteran coach JE Sarpong
