Wayne Rooney, Palace, Shakespeare put the boot in for England at FIFA World Cup

British former footballer and manager Wayne Rooney takes us by surprise with this declamation from Shakespeare's 'Richard II' - as one YouTube viewer says, it's "the tonic I didn't know I needed". He's teamed with Palace, the London-based skateboard brand heavily influenced by 90s pop culture which was established in 2009. The streetwear company got together with sports apparel giant Nike last year to create the P90 collection, a skate-infused spin on the T90 range that fuses staples from both manufacturers. As the FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to kick off in June in the three North American host countries, emotions, expectations, and ads are running high. England last won the World Cup 60 years ago, in 1966. Rooney, 40, who has been candid about his issues with alcohol, continues to be an infuential voice in English football: his comments on former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, now with Saudi Arabia's Al-Nasr squad, have this week lit up sectors of social media: "No disrespect intended, but honestly… nobody really cares about the Saudi League outside of social media debates. Cristiano is a year older than me, and if I'm being honest, I think he should have retired by now. I don't even understand why he keeps demanding so much of himself at this stage[.....] Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the history of football, no one can deny that. But football progresses. Age catches up with everyone eventually, even legends, and sometimes knowing when to stop is also part of greatness". Rooney, Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer with 253 goals and the record goalscorer for the England national team from 2015 to 2023, has also made clear that he disagrees with manager Tuchel's decision not to include Maguire, Foden and Palmer in the England squad for the Cup. But, back to this campaign, which is already garnering mixed reviews - what do you think?

Keywords: England x Palace 2026, Nike football, FIFA World Cup 2026, Wayne Rooney commercial, The Mailroom sports marketing agency