'Putting his doubters in their place' - Rooney lands pundit of year award

The show, which featured Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Justin Bieber, ran to 27 minutes and 22 seconds. Rooney, who played at three World Cups for England, was unimpressed. It caught some - including fellow pundit Joe Hart - by surprise.

But Rooney's plain-speaking and sense of humour through the tournament had connected with viewers. On Thursday, the former Manchester United and England captain was named pundit of the year at the Broadcast Sport Awards. , external Rooney, 41, was presented with the prestigious prize in front of 650 people from the sports television industry at a ceremony in London.

"I didn't realise how tough it was going to be when I first started doing it," said Rooney about transitioning from football to broadcasting. Rooney's move to broadcasting after a stellar playing career - followed by a testing stint as a manager - has not always been smooth. "He's articulate, and on Saturday night was able to conjure up the right word when you could see he was looking for it," he wrote.