Manchester City are set for an absolutely massive game against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final and while nerves are inevitable, one football veteran believes they are about to “blow them away”: Wayne Rooney.
Yes, that’s right, the Manchester United and England legend turned DC United coach has given his two cents ahead of the huge away fixture at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, stating that Man City are simply “on another level” at the moment and will dispatch with the Madrid rather easily, in fact.
Writing in a column for The Times, Rooney insisted that while Los Blancos may have dumped City out last in last year’s competition at this very same stage, he believes that “Haaland has improved [them] so much” that it won’t be anywhere near as tight a game (6-5 on aggregate) this time around.
Big words.
Haaland has improved Man City so much that I expect them to blow Real Madrid away.👇https://t.co/NDryOp1psL
Rooney reckons City will ‘blow Madrid away’. No pressure, lads.
The 37-year-old said that while Pep Guardiola has already the right players and tools to get the job done this time anyway (putting last season’s disappointment down to “a mad five minutes”), he believes the Norwegian phenomenon “is almost unstoppable on the counter”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Explaining that City don’t have to rely on dominating possession to hurt teams so much these days, he went on to add that how “if an opponent opens up and leaves space, Haaland is right there, running in behind”, with the 22-year-old displaying a frightening amount of pace, especially given his height.
As a result, the one-time Champions League winner himself says “Madrid will be much more cautious this time” as the Norwegian will make them nervous.”
ADVERTISEMENT
On the contrary, however, when asked what he thought of Rooney’s remarks, Madrid midfielder and serial winner Toni Kroos laughed off the bold claim, simply stating how City were predicted to win the tie last year but that he and his teammates went on to win the whole thing.
Translation: “Rooney said City will destroy us? They said the same last season, then we won the Champions League. This doesn’t affect us. We are already motivated enough.”
Safe to say that Kroos is more than confident the 14-time European champions will get the job done over the two legs, regardless of who might take the lead — just look at last year.
Speaking of, Rooney did make little mention of the two legs but noted that Guardiola’s team performed brilliantly both home and away last time around, suggesting it was simply one of those “improbable” results that football throws up and City have been building towards this like most CL winning teams.
ADVERTISEMENT
Although he did go on to concede that his predictions “may be wrong” — admitting that “there is no side better at disproving arguments against them than Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid in the Champions League” — he still believes this Pep and his team will be victorious thanks to their star man.
The question is, even if they do make it past Madrid, will they finally go on to lift their first European trophy? Rooney went so far as to say that if it does happen, “as much it pains [him]… you’d have to put City up there with United’s 1999 treble winners as the best Premier League team of all time.
Ruben Amorim reacts as Manchester United are booed off after Malaysia friendly
Danny Jones
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has delivered a fairly brutal response after his club were booed off by supporters during a friendly in Malaysia.
The Red Devils recently embarked on a post-season tour following a calamitous 2024/25 campaign, both domestically and continentally, with that limp loss in the Europa League final, but have already resumed what has become alarmingly normal service with yet another defeat.
Finding themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur – a squad comprised of various talents from around the region who had never played together before and were only founded as an actual team back in 2014 – it was all far from clean slates and fresh starts.
In the wake of the shock result, Man United were booed off by the Malaysian and other international fans inside the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which saw more than 70,000 in attendance.
It’s the end and that’s it. Man United got boo’ed by the fans after the final whistle.
They got beaten by non-full team Asean All-Star who just trained together as a group few days before the match. pic.twitter.com/fBxnMiZPN8
For context, the ASEAN All-Stars had only trained together for the first time just days before the game itself, but the de facto exhibition outfit still managed to break the deadlock in the 71st minute against a United side that rarely looked like scoring.
All that being said, Amorim had some choice words for his own players in his post-match duties after their first post-season tour fixture, insisting that while he always remains accountable, those out on the pitch perhaps received somewhat of a deserved reckoning too.
He began by stating, “I’m always guilty of the performance of the team, no matter what. [I have been responsible] since the first day”, but went on to argue: “The boos from the fans, I think it something that we need, maybe.”
Citing that the Old Trafford faithful and die-hard away fans have always been loyal and supportive despite frustration in the league, he suggested that “maybe they will change the way they behave” following this latest reality check.
Despite adding that he has seen reasons for optimism in performances against Man City and Liverpool, for instance, where he felt he saw “belief” and seeds of what’s to come, he’s made very few excuses for the poor displays up to now.
United face the Hong Kong national team in their next friendly on Friday, 29 May, and it’s fair to say anything less than a win would be beyond bad for the predictably unpredictable Premier League club.
You can see his full post-match press conference down below.
Featured Images — Manchester United (screenshot via YouTube)/Edward Kuruvilla (via X)
Sport
Stockport County to introduce safe standing at Edgeley Park
Danny Jones
Stockport County will soon be introducing safe standing at Edgeley Park as part of the pending stadium development plans.
The Hatters may have just missed out on promotion to the Championship, but it’s still been an exciting few years for the club that has seen a fresh surge in young new supporters in addition to their passionate lifelong followers.
In more fantastic news for fans, County have announced that brand new safe standing sections will be installed across the ground.
Confirming the news on Wednesday, the club said: “After receiving all necessary approvals and working closely with safety authorities, we are set to install rail seating in two designated areas of the stadium.
Stockport County is thrilled to announce the introduction of safe standing areas at Edgeley Park ahead of the upcoming 2025/26 season.
Visit the club site for more details on this exciting new development ⤵️#StockportCounty
— Stockport County (@StockportCounty) May 28, 2025
As detailed on the club website, there will be two new dedicated safe-standing/rail-seated zones – one in each main stand: the back five rows of seats in the Cheadle End’s upper tier and the back two rows of the Vitality Railway End.
With Stockport Council greenlighting plans for League One side to expand their home capacity, this reconfiguration is set to accommodate a total of 849 County fans and/or supporters.
Although this all depends on final approval from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), the aim is to deliver a “vibrant and dynamic environment for both home and away fans at Edgeley Park.”
The official statement goes on to explain that the push for safe standing is not just to provide more matchday options for those in attendance, but in hopes of further “enhancing the atmosphere and improving the overall matchday experience for those who prefer to stand.”
Couty has insisted that “The rail-seating system incorporates a barrier for every seat, ensuring that supporters are protected from a sudden surge or crowd movement.”
Safe standing is part of the larger Stockport County stadium redevelopment plans.
Addressing early concerns in a ‘What This Means for You’ section, they go on to add: “Season ticket holders currently in the affected rows will be contacted directly by the Club over the coming weeks with details on their options, including relocating to a seated area if they prefer not to stand.
“Information regarding new season tickets and matchday tickets in the safe standing areas will be released in due course.
“We believe this is another significant step forward for Stockport County and will further enhance the already incredible atmosphere at Edgeley Park. We look forward to seeing and hearing the renewed energy in these new sections.”
The safe standing plan is set to be introduced for the upcoming 2025/26 season, with the administration hoping to make this their last in the third tier. Do you see them going up next year?
Danny Jones -
9th May 2023 
