Wayne Rooney dismissed speculation that he could be tempted to move to Spain by insisting that he would happily finish his career at Manchester United.
Barcelona were reported last week to be planning an £85 million (US$142 million) bid to lure the England striker to the Nou Camp while his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, has said he would love to see Rooney playing alongside him at Real Madrid.
Rooney, preparing for England’s friendly against Brazil in Doha today, said he expects to shortly begin talking to United about extending his contract beyond 2012, when his current deal is due to expire.
“It is nice to get noticed but I have said before I am really happy at United,” the 24-year-old said. “Unless they tell me otherwise, I can’t really see myself leaving. Obviously I’ve got two years left after this year [season], so I’m sure over the next few months we will be negotiating a new deal.”
Asked if he was contemplating finishing his career at Old Trafford, Rooney responded with an emphatic “yes” before underlining the importance he attaches to being close to his roots in nearby Liverpool.
“I love the place,” Rooney said. “It is 30 minutes from home and all my family and I have got a great chance of winning trophies. It is a massive club. Growing up, although I was an Everton fan, I used to love watching United play, the way they played and attacked, always right to the end and scoring so many late goals. Now to be there and winning trophies, I don’t think I will be going anywhere soon.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and