Wayne Rooney has been trending on social media, and not for reasons he would want. 

For some backstory, football star Wayne Rooney appeared in a set of images online that some would deem compromising. Rooney appears to be asleep in a chair, with three women in a hotel room posing beside him. There is no suggestion that the former England record goalscorer was aware of what was going on around him.

The representatives of former England forward believed this to be a set-up, and reported the incident to the police as such. According to a Daily Mail report, the Derby County manager reportedly lodged a complaint with the Manchester Police after his photos went viral on social media on Sunday. He had alleged blackmail. 

In an update, the three ‘party girls’ have apologised to Wayne Rooney. He paid them £1, a contractual necessity, to buy the copyright of images. He can now choose to take legal action against whoever uses that image. 

His wife, Coleen, continued her holiday in Wales despite the scandal. 

This “nominal” fee to Brooke Morgan, Elise Melvin, both 21, and their pal Eleanor Hoggarth, who have apologised to him and ‘volunteered to hand over all pictures’ having admitted they got “carried away”, according to the footballer’s spokesperson.

However, a fourth woman, model Tayler Ryan still owns her rights to her pictures. 

Speaking to Sky Sports after Derby’s friendly against Real Betis on Wednesday, Rooney said: “I made a mistake.”

“I went to a private party with two of my friends and from me, I’d like to apologise to my family and the club for the images that were going round and I want to move forward,” said the married father-of-four. 

“I’m grateful to Derby County for giving me this opportunity to get this club back to where it belongs, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I do that.”

 “It’s dealt with. I’m looking forward to moving forward and preparing for another game on Sunday,” he concluded.