According to the British tabloid The Daily Mirror, Manchester United's star striker Wayne Rooney lost a £25,000 Chrysler to defender Phil Bardsley in a poker game.
Apparently Rooney, Bardsley and a couple of other players from Manchester United held regular home poker sessions. The Mirror quoted a source as saying: "They play a couple of times a week. On this occasion Rooney lost the keys of his Chrysler to Bardsley." Bardsley is denying the story though and insists he paid for the car.
The Mirror also reported that Rooney is refusing to pay a £700,000 gambling debt owed to Goldchip Ltd, a bookmaking firm run by Stephen Smith.
Rooney accumulated his huge gambling debt in a private gambling ring that included a couple of other soccer stars, most notably Newcastle United striker Michael Owen, who is said to have set up the ring. When his losses became too much to bear, Rooney transferred the debt over to bookmaking firm Goldchip Ltd.
In England gambling debts are not recoverable in court, so Goldchip will have a hard time collecting the money. Goldchip also has no records on the exact bets made by Rooney.
Rooney is very angry that nobody discouraged him from chasing his losses, but his anger is not directed to Michael Owen, who did introduce Rooney to Goldchip Ltd. "Wayne and Michael remain the best of pals," said a spokesman for Wayne Rooney.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who is the manager of Manchester United, dismissed the story in the Mirror as "absolute rubbish".