Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has been bizarrely announced as the latest signing for booming EA FC 24 Pro Clubs team Girth N Turf FC. Girth N Turf confirmed the move in a surprise X (formerly Twitter) post on Sunday, describing the icon as their “newest and biggest signing yet”.
Influencers Yung Filly and Angry Ginge created the team earlier this year to make content for their respective platform, regularly playing with and against blockbuster names.
Pro Clubs is a mode on the popular football video game – formerly named FIFA – in which friends can play on the same team with custom names and kits, progressing through divisions against others online.
Teenage darts superstar Luke Littler is a permanent member of the squad and has been hailed for showing a different side to his usual reserved character on the oche and in interviews.
Mainstream rapper Aitch also regularly plays for Girth N Turf, whose famous opponents in recent weeks include Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
But Rooney is undoubtedly the biggest name to get involved with Girth N Turf yet, and his announcement almost broke the internet, leaving millions in disbelief.
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Over two million X users saw the post, which accumulated over 18,000 likes and over one thousand retweets.
Girth N Turf’s announcement gained significant traction, but there were sceptics about the unusual development.
However, Rooney incredibly made his debut on Sunday night, failing to perform before calling teammate Angry Ginge a “ginger c**t” in response to criticism before signing off.
The former England record goalscorer’s X-rated comment left those on the audio chat in hysterics, including Angry Ginge, a huge United fan.
But it was all in jest, as he added that he would be up for making another appearance if the team would have him back.
On Saturday, a day earlier, the 38-year-old took to social media to regretfully withdraw from pundit duties on BBC’s Match of the Day.
Rooney was scheduled to sit alongside Gary Lineker to analyse the day’s matches, including United’s 2-2 draw at AFC Bournemouth, but was forced to drop out after suffering a back injury on holiday.
He wrote: “Gutted not to be making my debut on the iconic @BBCMOTD show tonight. It’s something I have wanted to do since I was little.
“Unfortunately, I have sustained a painful back injury during a holiday with my family, but I look forward to being part of the team in the near future.
“Good luck to @GaryLineker and the guys for tonight’s show, and see you soon.”