Wayne Rooney had viewers in stitches during the BBC’s FA Cup final coverage this evening when he shared a brilliant anecdote about Pep Guardiola.
The Manchester United legend revealed how a voicemail from the City boss left him absolutely “fuming” back when he was managing Derby County.
It turns out the exchange happened when Rooney was trying to do some transfer business with Guardiola’s side.
The former England captain was working as a pundit for the broadcaster as City claimed a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Wembley, and couldn’t resist sharing the tale with his fellow pundits.
Wayne Rooney jokingly revealed he was ‘fuming’ after Pep Guardiola’s voicemail message to him
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BBC
Rooney explained that he had Patrick Roberts on loan from City at the time and was keen to bring Liam Delap to Pride Park as well during the 2021 season.
“So I called him and it went to voicemail. I didn’t get through, then he called back and I missed it,” Rooney told the BBC panel.
What came next was pure Guardiola mischief.
“He left a voicemail saying, ‘Hi Wayne, this is Pep, the one who beat you in the Champions League final.’ So I was fuming!” Rooney recalled.
The cheeky dig clearly caught the former striker completely off guard.
Pep Guardiola left Wayne Rooney a mischievous message while he was in charge of Derby
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GETTY
Guardiola’s playful jab referenced some painful memories for Rooney and United supporters alike.
The Catalan’s Barcelona side defeated Sir Alex Ferguson’s men twice in Champions League finals during that era.
The first came in Rome back in 2009, where Barca secured a 2-0 triumph.
Two years later, the sides met again at Wembley in 2011, with Barcelona running out 3-1 winners thanks to goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa.
Rooney did manage to find the net for United that night, scoring his side’s only goal, but Guardiola’s treble-winning squad proved far too strong on the day.
“Hi Wayne, this is Pep, the one who beat you in the Champions League final”.
Ruthless from Pep. 😅 pic.twitter.com/JB0VvrkBXd
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 16, 2026
Despite the amusing exchange, Rooney never managed to get Delap’s signature on a loan deal, and he stepped down as Derby boss at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
The young striker has since carved out quite a career for himself, completing a £30million transfer to Chelsea from Ipswich Town last summer.
In a neat twist of fate, Delap actually came off the bench in today’s final against his former club, though he couldn’t prevent City from claiming victory.
Antoine Semenyo’s stunning backheel midway through the second half proved the difference as Guardiola’s side secured their third FA Cup under his stewardship.