Wayne Rooney gave evidence amid the ongoing Wagatha Christie libel battle between his wife Coleen and Rebekah Vardy as it enters its sixth day.
The former England striker, 36, revealed he was asked by then England manager Roy Hodgson to speak to his teammate Jamie Vardy to ask his wife to “calm down” during the Euros 2016, the High Court heard.
He told the courtroom: “They asked me, as captain, would I be able to speak to Mr Vardy on issues regarding his wife and I think we all knew that it was an awkward subject.
“I’d need to speak to Mr Vardy and ask him to speak to his wife and ask him to ask his wife to calm down.
“It was an awkward situation for me and I’m sure it was an awkward situation for Mr Vardy, but I felt it was in the best interests of the team,” he added.
However later outside court Mr Vardy released a statement saying: “Wayne is talking nonsense.
“He must be confused because he never spoke to me about issues concerning Becky’s media work at Euro 2016.”
The case centres on a viral social media post sent by Coleen Rooney in October 2019, in which she revealed she had carried out a “sting operation” and accused Rebekah Vardy, 40, of leaking “false stories” about her private life to the press.
The trial is due to continue on Thursday.
