With husband Wayne considering a move to Saudi Arabia in a bid to revive his management career, Coleen Rooney is having sleepless nights about the impact it could have on their family – and even Wayne’s safety.
The couple, who met when they were just 12 years old, have stood together through 15 years of marriage and the birth of four sons, Kai, 14, Klay, ten, Kit, eight, and Cass, six. Ever-faithful Coleen has remained supportive of her husband throughout several high-profile scandals involving boozing and womanising.
But, while the Rooneys are known to enjoy a holiday in nearby Dubai, Saudi Arabia’s famously strict alcohol laws are a cause for concern for Coleen.
An insider tells heat that – while there’s “big money on offer” if Wayne, 38, were to consider a move to the Saudi Pro League, and Coleen, 37, loves the “sunshine and glamour” of the Middle East – she has a “bad feeling” that this might be an own-goal for Wayne.
Under current Saudi law, penalties for consumption or possession of alcohol can include fines, jail time, public flogging and deportation, and our source says, “Coleen has knots in her tummy. It just doesn’t feel like the right move – she can’t shake her fear that it’s a disaster waiting to happen. She’s been chatting to other partners of players out there to get an understanding of the lifestyle, and she’s had mixed reports.
"There’s a lot of talk about how life there is very restricted and it’s a bit of a pressure-cooker existence. So many players have been lured there with huge money contracts, but the system and clubs are not the same as Europe. A lot of the players are being left to their own devices, which is having a very confusing impact on morale – there’s no support in place. Coleen’s got a bad feeling. She fears it’s the kind of place where Wayne could end up in real trouble.”
Over the years, Coleen has remained committed to her husband throughout his public missteps, including visiting brothels early in their relationship, and allegedly sleeping with sex workers during her pregnancy with eldest son Kai. With other high-profile public incidents, including his 2019 arrest for “public swearing and intoxication” at a US airport, Coleen is worried that history could repeat itself if Wayne is placed under pressure in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s when he’s trying to drown something out, ” Coleen wrote of his wayward behaviour in her 2023 memoir My Account. “Wayne is loving, affectionate, and not afraid to show it, but if something worries him, he goes dark. He doesn’t share his problems, he pushes them down until they can’t be pushed any further, and then they explode and he’ll go on a bender.”
Former England star Wayne is at a crossroads in his managerial career, following his sacking from Birmingham City in January after less than three months at the club. And with Coleen having no plans to uproot the family from their settled life in Cheshire, we’re told that she worries Wayne being left to his own devices is a recipe for disaster.
“Coleen’s been warned the football scene in Saudi can get messy, with some players going a little wild and letting their hair down. But it’s a fine line – if you were to offend the local culture in any way, you are in big trouble.”
The source adds, “Coleen says, if anyone is likely to fall foul of that, it’ll be Wayne. Without the structure of his family, he’s liable to get lonely and bored, meaning he’s more likely to go out looking for company and get in trouble.”