Wayne Rooney chant: Lyrics, tune and story behind Man Utd’s song for their record goalscorer

Wayne Rooney's legacy at Manchester United was cemented long ago, but the fact that he retired as the club's all-time record goalscorer means he has etched a permanent place in the club's illustrious history.

At present, no one in the Man United squad looks as if they will challenge Rooney's 253-goal haul for the Red Devils, never mever mind his Old Trafford trophy haul of five Premier League titles, three League Cups, one Champions League, one FA Cup and one World Club Cup.

Despite being a scouser, Man United fans took to Rooney remarkably quickly. To be fair, the hat-trick against Fenerbahce in his first appearance in the Champions League proper certainly helped Rooney endear himself to the Man United faithful. will do a lot for your reputation.

The Wayne Rooney chant has rung around Old Trafford for two decades now. But what is the story behind this Man Utd chant, and what are the lyrics? Let's take a look.

Wayne Rooney chant, lyrics and tune 

The lyrics to the Wayne Rooney chant are as follows:

I saw my mate the other day,

He said to me he'd seen the white Pele,

So I asked, Who is he?

He goes by the name of Wayne Rooney,

Wayne Rooney, Wayne Rooney,

He goes by the name of Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney chant background

The Wayne Rooney chant was created very shortly after the player signed for Manchester United from Everton. While he was hardly an unknown prospect at that time, spending £30m on a teenager was seen as risky business at the time, but Rooney put any doubts to bed early on in his United career.

While labelling an 18-year-old the ‘white Pele' may seem like a bold call to make nowadays, it was perfectly reasonable at the time. Like Pele, Rooney burst onto the international scene as a teenager and was the player during Euro 2024, when he was still just 18.

Now that all is said and done with his career, the comparisons with Pele are still fair. Yes, Rooney didn't achieve eternal glory on the international stage like the Brazilian or score as many goals, but in terms of pure footballing ability, he is on his level.

Man Utd fans singing the Wayne Rooney chant

FGG says: One of the most instantly recognisable English football chants

The Wayne Rooney chant is one of the most recognisable football chants in English football. It's one of those that, if it were created in the modern day, fans from across the EFL would be copying it and creating their own versions. Back then, though, stealing chants was more frowned upon, which means it will forever be associated with Rooney.