Wayne Rooney reveals Jewish roots in new documentary
Wayne Rooney reveals Jewish roots in new documentary
Thom GibbsThu, September 24, 2026 at 6:00 AM UTC
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In The Real Rooneys, Wayne Rooney shares that he has recently discovered his Polish-Jewish ancestry - Disney+
Wayne Rooney has revealed he has Polish-Jewish ancestry in a new documentary.
In episode four of The Real Rooneys, a 10-part Disney+ series following Rooney, his wife Coleen and their four children, he reveals that he has recently discovered unexpected roots in mainland Europe.
“I’ve recently found out that my mum’s mum, so my nan’s, family were Polish Jews,” Rooney says. “Technically, if that’s true, you’re actually Jewish,” says a producer from off camera, because of the matrilineal tradition in which the faith is inherited through the female line of the family.
“I’m Catholic,” Rooney replies. “But then I’ve always asked questions like why aren’t we Jewish?” Asked whether he would be interested in finding out more, and whether it could lead to a spin-off show, Rooney jokes: “Roo the Jew?”
Wayne and Coleen’s new documentary series will show the ‘real’ them across 10 episodes - Disney+/Kerry Spencer
In the documentary, the Rooneys take a trip to Krakow in Poland with their third and fourth sons Kit and Cass, 10 and eight, as Kit has taken an interest in the Second World War after studying it at school. From Krakow they travel to Auschwitz, with Coleen saying that Wayne also enjoys learning about history and has “a real bug for learning about different places in the world, culture, people, values”.
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Rooney had previously visited Auschwitz with several of his England team-mates in 2012, when the team were taking part in that year’s European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. “I’m a parent and it’s tough to see what happened there,” he said at the time. “You’ve seen the amount of children who died. You see the children’s clothes and shoes, it’s really sad. You have to see it first hand.”
Rooney and the England team visit Auchwitz during the 2012 European Championship - PA/Michael Regan
The Real Rooneys begins shortly after Rooney was sacked as manager of Plymouth in December 2024, after winning just five games of his 24 in charge. That followed similarly unsuccessful stints in charge of Birmingham City, DC United and Derby County, and Rooney says he is unlikely to return to management.
“There is a big possibility I’ll never manage again,” he says in the first episode. “It’s the first time really that I’m probably not going to be involved in football. I’m stepping away from the thing I’ve loved doing my whole life.” Asked whether it had always been part of the plan for him to take on more of the domestic load while Coleen prioritised her career, Wayne said: “We spoke about her doing more work, not about me getting sacked.”
Rooney would add to a relatively sparse list of Jewish players since the Premier League was established. Most have been Israeli, with Liverpool striker Ronny Rosenthal one of 13 foreign-born players to make an appearance on the opening weekend of the first season in 1992-93, although he is better known for his miss at Villa Park the following month.
Eyal Berkovic, Yossi Benayoun, Tal Ben Haim and Manor Solomon have been the most prominent Israeli players since, while Nick Blackman was assumed to be the first English-born Jewish Premier League player when making his debut for Blackburn Rovers in 2009. Rooney’s debut came seven years previously, which may challenge that assumption.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
