Why Sol Campbell didn’t talk to me for six months – the Wayne Rooney Show

After a penalty exchange between Wayne Rooney and his former England team-mate Sol Campbell in Manchester United’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the 2004-2005 season, the pair went six months without speaking to each other.

Arsenal, under Arsene Wenger’s guidance, had won the previous season’s Premier League title, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s United ended their unbeaten run with a dreadful victory at Old Trafford.

After Rooney fell inside the box while being challenged by Arsenal centre-back Campbell, Ruud van Nistelrooy gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot.

Rooney, who was 19 years old when he joined United from Everton earlier that summer, scored in the 93rd minute to seal the victory.

Cesc Fabregas, a 17-year-old Arsenal midfielder, threw a pizza at Ferguson following the game in a frantic incident known as the “Pizzagate.”

“It was a significant game for Arsenal,” he said. Rooney said in a new BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, “If they had won it, it would have been 50 games unbeaten for them.”

“Campbell didn’t contact me for more than six months after we defeated them 2-0.”

We met while on international duty, but Sol refused to speak with me. I used to say to Sol, “Come on, we are playing for England here,” when we were together.

Between February 1997 and February 2005, Arsenal and Manchester United faced seven red cards in regular contests for significant prizes.

The Arsenal players accused Van Nistelrooy of overreacting and sending Patrick Vieira to the side for a second yellow in 2003-2004.

The Dutch international’s subsequent failure to earn an injury-time penalty in the game, which was dubbed the “Battle of Old Trafford,” sparked unfavorable reactions from his rivals, particularly Martin Keown.

Referee Graham Poll ordered the captains to separate after Roy Keane and Vieira had a fight in the tunnel at Arsenal’s former stadium in Highbury the following year.

Rooney reflected on Arsenal’s 1-0 victory at Old Trafford in their Premier League opener on Sunday, saying: “When I joined United, it was our biggest rivalry. I used to enjoy playing against them, but it has since faded.

“I can recall that Roy and Vieira and I played in the tunnel at Highbury for United in the first game there.” Even the referees could hear it, and the game was clearly on a knife-edge.