Former footballer Wayne Rooney reveals: "I am a descendant of Jews from Poland"

Former English footballer Wayne Rooney has revealed in a new documentary series that he has Jewish roots, after discovering that his mother is a descendant of Jews from Poland. Rooney, who is Catholic, said he always asked "why aren't we Jewish?" Following the discovery, he became one of the few Jewish players in the Premier League.

Former English footballer Wayne Rooney has revealed in a new documentary series that he has Jewish roots. In the fourth episode of the series "The Real Rooneys" on Disney Plus, Rooney said he discovered that his mother is a descendant of Jews from Poland. "Recently I found out that my mother's mother's family, meaning my grandmother, were Polish Jews," Rooney said. A producer on the show quickly told him that according to Jewish law, he is considered Jewish. Rooney, who identified as Catholic, said he always asked questions like "why aren't we Jewish?" As part of the filming of the series, Rooney and his family traveled to Krakow, following his son Kit's interest in World War II. From there they continued to Auschwitz. Rooney's wife, Coleen, said her husband has "a real obsession with learning about different places around the world, cultures, people, values." Following the discovery, Rooney became one of the few Jewish players to have played in the Premier League, and the first born in England, a title previously held by Nick Blackman.