Coleen and Wayne Rooney have defended their eldest son Kai against nepo baby claims after the teen signed a scholarship with Manchester United earlier this year.
Kai, 16, is following in the footsteps of his legendary footballer father while simultaneously landing major modeling campaigns with the likes of Puma.
Their new Disney+ docuseries, The Real Rooneys, follows heavily on Kai pursuing his footballing dream in the hopes of landing his scholarship.
Wayne has insisted he wants Kai to earn his milestones purely on his own merit and not for the surname he holds.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the couple proudly admitted Kai has ‘worked hard to get where he is’ as they weighed into the nepo baby row.
Coleen said: ‘I think Kai is a prime example of not being a nepo baby. He has always wanted to be a footballer, but he has intelligence, he’s an intelligent lad.
Coleen and Wayne Rooney, both 40, have defended their eldest son Kai, 16, against nepo baby claims after the teen signed a scholarship with Manchester United earlier this year
Kai is following in the footsteps of his legendary footballer father while simultaneously landing major modeling campaigns with the likes of Puma
‘I’ve pushed him through and said “If you’ve got it, why not show it off”. He’s just done his GCSE’s and he done amazing.
‘He’s fluent in Spanish and that’s off his own back, that’s not because we’ve pushed him, he’s never had a tutor.Â
‘He was playing football in America and met a lad from Argentina who couldn’t speak English and he kept in contact with him and it brought on his Spanish so much. So now he’s doing a Spanish A level as well as doing his football.’
She added: ‘When he was younger, people would say “Oh, he’s only there because of his dad”. He wouldn’t get a contract on that team [if that was the case] so he’s worked hard to get where he is and we’re proud of that, aren’t we?’
Wayne responded: ‘Yeah, you do see that and especially in football, you get “Is he there because of his dad” and I’ve seen that with other kids as well and you can’t say whether their right or wrong, but we only speak for Kai.Â
‘He has earned that right to go and play for Man United and getting that contract. That’s the one thing I’m most proud of him actually is his desire and wanting to do it.
‘I’ve actually been into the club and said “If he isn’t doing well then I don’t want them to be here because of me”.Â
‘It’s not fair on them. You don’t want your kids to be in that position where they feel they’re not good enough.’
Coleen added: ‘They are still young, you know, that’s the thing but we would never force them down a certain route.Â
Wayne has insisted he wants Kai to earn his milestones purely on his own merit and not for the surname he holds
Their new Disney+ docuseries, The Real Rooneys, follows heavily on Kai pursuing his footballing dream in the hopes of landing his scholarship
Alongside his football training, the series follows Kai on a photoshoot with Puma for an advert which his younger brother Klay watched from the sidelines
‘They’ve got to want to do it and love what they’re doing so whatever they choose we’ll support and guide them.’
Wayne reflected in the series: ‘I think for Manchester United for us as a family would be full circle’.
Asked if Kai getting a scholarship with Manchester United would bring a tear to his eye, Wayne said: ‘Probably, I cry at everything anyway.
‘I’ve cried at some made things, Coronation Street, X Factor, when Barry got pushed off the hill by Janine in EastEnders I was crying so I’m pretty sure I would at that.’
Coleen said: ‘If he doesn’t get one, I do have the fear of Kai leaving, especially at 16, it’s quite young.’
Speaking about his career, Kai added: ‘I want to play at the highest level, I want to play for the best time in the world and that’s all what I want to do, look back and be happy with what I have achieved as a player and a person.’
Alongside his football training, the series follows Kai on a photoshoot with Puma for an advert which his younger brother Klay watched from the sidelines.
Coleen said: ‘Today we are filming for a Puma shoot for Kai, it’s going to be great for him.Â
‘Kai’s desperate to make a good impression with Manchester United, he’s already got quite a lot of exciting work opportunities.
Wayne pictured at the height of his football career in 2004
‘Kai and Klay are like chalk and cheese, they love each other but they might not always like each other.’
Klay joked on route to the photoshoot: ‘How have you got a sponsorship and I’ve not, I’m much better than you.’
‘You look like the guy from Dumber and Dumber,’ Kai hit back.Â
Coleen and Wayne’s long-time manager Paul Stretford added: ‘The name Rooney and The Rooneys are of massive interest.
‘The potential for Kai alone is really, really exciting. It is a very competitive space, you’ve got to be on your A game to keep that, it can always fall by the wayside.’
Disney+ and Amazon had a bidding war for months to have the rights for the show, with Disney+ winning the race with the massive £10million fee.
Sources close to the project say Coleen will be paid £5million with the remainder going to production company Lorton Entertainment, which made her previous show, Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story.
Stream The Real Rooneys on Disney+ now.
