The possibility of Manchester City losing their trophies won between 2009 and 2018 has ignited a heated debate among former Manchester United legends. Paul Scholes disagrees with Wayne Rooney, who stated he wouldn’t want the medal from the 2011-2012 season.
At the center of this discussion is the ruling of an independent committee, which found City guilty of 115 breaches of Premier League financial regulations.
The club has already contested this decision and continues to categorically deny all charges, but one potential sanction could see nine trophies stripped and awarded to the second-placed teams.
Scholes: “I Want My Medal”
If this measure is implemented, Manchester United would inherit the title from the 2011-2012 season, lost in the final match. In light of this possibility, Rooney firmly rejected the idea of accepting such a medal, while Scholes immediately responded with a strong statement.
“I keep hearing former teammates saying they want their trophies taken away but don’t want the medals… Forget that, I’m greedy, I want my medal!” Scholes wrote on Instagram.
Reports allege that Manchester City might have concealed €1.075 billion between 2009 and 2018.
What Rooney Said
Scholes’ viewpoint is shared by fellow former teammates Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea, who also expressed their desire to receive the accolades. This stands in stark contrast to the all-time leading scorer of the club at Old Trafford. In a recent episode of the Stick To United podcast, Rooney explained his reluctance to accept such recognition.
“I heard Rio talk about the possibility of receiving another Premier League champion’s medal… Honestly, I wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting another Premier League medal. I don’t think we deserved it; we didn’t do enough that season to win the championship. We had a six or seven-point lead with four or five games left and squandered it all.
I’ve been following all that’s been said in recent days, listening to people’s opinions, and trying to put myself in the shoes of a City player… They are footballers giving their all on the pitch to win the Premier League, and in their minds, they truly achieved that.
If those players had no idea what was happening at the management level, and such a decision affected me… I would be completely devastated.
It can happen; they might have their medals stripped, but I wouldn’t want it because I don’t feel that as a team we earned it that year, given we obviously didn’t finish first. So when I see former teammates saying ‘I want a medal,’ I’m happy with the five I’ve won.
I wouldn’t want this one. Should they be stripped for what their owners did? Yes, maybe, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable accepting it,” Rooney stated, as quoted by A Bola.
