The former England captain explained that a switch to the Camp Nou almost materialised when he handed in a transfer request at Manchester United in 2010 as he was tempted by the prospect of turning out for the La Liga giants with the likes of Lionel Messi and Xavi.

Rooney told BBC Sport: "When I told Manchester United in 2010 that I did not want to sign a new deal and put in a transfer request, three clubs came in for me.

"Manchester City are often talked about as being one of them, but I don't think that was ever an option for me - the teams who made an approach were Chelsea, Real and Barcelona.

"In my head, I was ready to go and play in Spain and some talks did take place.

"A deal with Real looked more likely for a couple of days but it was Barcelona whom I thought about the most, and how I might fit into their side alongside Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets.

"In the end I decided to stay at United, but Barca had an incredible team then and any player would have loved to have played in it."

Rooney understands why Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold wants to join Real Madrid as he will have the chance to play in a new environment with stars including Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

The five-time Premier League winner said: "Real are the same now with superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr, so of course it must be appealing to Alexander-Arnold to think about playing alongside them - anyone would feel the same.

"He has been at Liverpool for almost 20 years - since he was six - but the reality is that most players move at some point - that's why there are so few one-club men like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

"I would not blame Alexander-Arnold for wanting to do something a little bit different - like a fresh challenge in a new country - Spain would be a really good move for him."