4 days Ago By Callum Bishop
Wayne Rooney has caused a stir after naming his combined Arsenal and Real Madrid XI ahead of their Champions League quarter-final second leg. The Gunners will take a 3-0 advantage to the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to stunners from Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, leaving the defending European champions with a task that only four other teams have ever completed in Champions League history. Los Blancos were outplayed and outfought at the Emirates, particularly in the second half, which became an incredibly one-sided affair.
Despite that, Rooney was only able to find room for three Arsenal stars in his combined XI. Rooney Includes Declan Rice in Combined XI In a clip posted to social media, Rooney was given the option between an Arsenal and Real Madrid star in every position, with Rice - off the back of his two incredible free-kicks to hand his side the advantage - being just one of three from the Premier League giants to earn his way into the team. In goal, Rooney opted for Thibaut Courtois over David Raya, before surprisingly choosing Lucas Vazquez, an attacker by trade, at right-back over Jurrien Timber.
Antonio Rudiger, who engaged in a training ground fight with Jude Bellingham following the defeat at the Emirates, was selected in the heart of defence alongside William Saliba, while Myles Lewis-Skelly also found his way in at left-back as the final selection from North London. Rice was joined in midfield by the aforementioned Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga, the latter of whom will be suspended for the second leg after being shown two yellow cards in the first. Madrid's star-studded front three of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe complete the line-up, meaning there is no place for starboy Bukayo Saka despite him being crucial to last week's triumph.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Saka has the lowest minutes per goal contribution this season out of he, Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. All three are great in their own right - but what do the 2024/25 statistics suggest? Fans React to Rooney's Combined XI Needless to say, fans were left incredibly shocked by some of Rooney's choices, and made their feelings known on social media. One fan wrote "Not putting in Saka over Rodrygo has got to be one of the worst takes I’ve seen," while another added: "I disagree with Vazquez over Timber, Camavinga over Partey, Rodrygo over Saka.
" A third suggested that Rooney's picks offered an insight to his managerial struggles, stating: "Yet one wonders why he has failed at every club he coached," while a fourth claimed: "Wayne Rooney's managerial record shows 46 wins, 44 draws, and 87 losses in 177 games as a manager." Saka did not look best pleased while answering the question. All statistics courtesy of Sofascore - accurate as of 15/04/2025.
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