Frank Lampard, the Chelsea legend, has vehemently denied a peculiar claim made by Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney. The story involved him and fellow footballer John Terry receiving foot massages in bed while on England duty.
Rooney, who recently took up the mantle as Plymouth Argyle boss, shared some intriguing anecdotes from his time on international duty during an episode of the Stick to Football podcast. Among these tales was one particular incident that seemed to baffle the 38-year-old.
According to Rooney's account, Chelsea greats Lampard and John Terry had a regular routine of getting their feet massaged by Blues masseuse Billy McCulloch until they fell asleep. After which McCulloch would allegedly tuck them in for the night.
Lampard wants to have word with Rooney
Weeks after this unusual story was aired publicly, Lampard finally responded with a firm denial. He rejected any notion of such an event occurring during their England national team matches.
Frank Lampard admitted that he needs to have a conversation with Wayne Rooney about his recollection of events during their England tenure. His response indicates that he is keen on setting the record straight regarding this peculiar tale spun by his former teammate.
Former Chelsea captain, Frank Lampard, said:
"I need to have a word with him because he's... would I call it selective memory, I don't know what I'd call it, I don't know, maybe he got the wrong end of the stick. I certainly never had my feet rubbed to make me fall asleep in my room, I'm just going to correct here. I'm not going to speak for John but the story is, Billy the masseur was at Chelsea and was at England for a period of time.
"We were all very close, so naturally we would work with Billy in the medical room. Occasionally he would come to our room and do work which is very normal, I'm sure Wayne has had a similar situation.
"But I just want to clarify that we certainly didn't... I'm just trying to picture myself falling asleep and Billy's finishing and quietly leaving the room. I would have been uncomfortable with that and I love Billy."
While it remains unclear why such a bizarre story surfaced in public discourse, it certainly adds another layer to our understanding of life behind-the-scenes for these football legends. However, as per Frank Lampard's rebuttal, not all stories told are necessarily accurate reflections of past events.
Whether or not you believe Wayne Rooney’s tale depends largely on your perspective - but one thing is clear: life off-pitch can be just as interesting as what happens on it!
