SerpApi.Org
The Beckham clan might have become the unofficial mascots of the 2026 World Cup, but footballing’s first family have a rival snapping at their heels: Brand Rooney. Wayne and Coleen’s four sons – Kai, 16, Klay, 12, Kit, 10 and Cass, eight – are all thriving in their various pursuits, with Cass this week making a surprisingly charming modelling debut for Primark alongside his proud mother.
The junior Beckhams, meanwhile, aren’t exactly setting the world alight. Quintessential nepo baby Brooklyn is busy feuding with his parents over perceived slights (he claims Victoria Beckham upstaged his bride at his wedding, and that she and David prioritised public image over him) and has so far had a go at being a footballer, a photographer and a chef. Cruz is trying to be taken seriously as a musician, while Romeo tried his hand at football and is now a model, and Harper is perhaps eyeing a beauty-influencer career – the wisdom of which remains to be seen.
The wholesome young Rooneys, however, seem to have inherited their father’s super-charged sporting talent as well as their mother’s hard graft. Growing up, Coleen – the daughter of a bricklayer and a nursery nurse (both she and Wayne were born in the Croxteth suburb of Liverpool) – worked a Saturday job at clothing shop New Look while also diligently studying, leaving school with 10 GCSEs. It’s evidently a good lesson for the next generation.
The Beckhams’ combined net worth – £1.185bn according to the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List – likely dwarfs the Rooneys’, which is estimated at more like £200m. (That’s thanks to Wayne’s career as a footballer-turned-manager and pundit, and Coleen’s TV stints – a £1.5m fee for I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! – books, and brand deals.) But in other respects, the Rooneys are streets ahead.
Kai Rooney
Wayne remains Manchester United’s all-time top goalscorer, and it looks like 16-year-old Kai is a chip off the old block. In 2020, he had a successful trial and joined the Red Devils. He got a number 10 shirt – the same number as Wayne’s – though his father stressed that Kai had “other clubs to go to” and it was “his decision and not mine” to opt for Man U. Wayne also posted on X that this was a “proud day”, adding “Keep up the hard work son.”
Kai certainly has, breaking the club’s under-12s goal-scoring record (with 56), and in 2023 scoring the winner against Man City in the U13 National Cup North final. In 2025, Wayne told the BBC that Kai “understands the game fantastically and he thinks about it”, praising how his focussed son also “cooks for himself, speaks fluent Spanish” and is “doing everything he can to try to live his dream”.
Kai was just one of eight footballers selected for the Manchester United academy scholarship class earlier this month, posting on Instagram “work starts now”. Coleen described him to The Times in February as “strong minded”, saying she had “no worries in the way he deals with” the pressure of being Wayne’s son. Wayne’s agent Triple S Sports & Entertainment Group apparently concurs: they signed Kai in March.
Klay Rooney
Kai isn’t the only footballing star on the rise in the Rooney family. In fact, we might be looking at a pair of Man United brothers in the vein of Gary and Phil Neville if budding player Klay has anything to say about it. The 12-year-old has already been a fixture with the club’s academy for a few years: father Wayne shared a picture to Instagram in 2022 of his son in a United tracksuit with the caption “First tournament away. Good luck Klay.”
He’s even making waves abroad. In 2025, Wayne travelled to Spain to cheer on Klay as he played for Manchester United against UE Quart at Girona, and the young Rooney helped his team to a decisive 3-1 victory. It probably helps that the Rooney’s 50-acre compound, High Lake Manor in Cheshire, features a football pitch among its many luxurious amenities. But Coleen stressed to The Times in February that she and Wayne constantly tell the kids “you’re lucky to have this”, reminding them of how their parents grew up, and teaching them to have manners and be respectful.
Kit Rooney
Unlike his big brothers, 10-year-old Kit has already tried and dismissed football as a possible career path. Coleen told The Sun in 2025 that Kit had “retired” from the beautiful game and instead set his sights on darts. His idol is none other than Luke “The Nuke” Littler, the youngest ever world champion in history, and Kit got to meet his hero after watching him triumph at Alexandra Palace in January.
Kit had a darts-themed ninth birthday party and is taking his new vocation seriously: he diligently practises on the family dart board at their Cheshire home. Coleen revealed that she now dishes up steak – sometimes with a fried egg – for Kit’s breakfast so he’s in peak playing condition.
He’s also a keen fisherman, so might soon be reeling in his own meals: Wayne posted a picture of Kit holding a sizeable fish to X last September, writing “New obsession for Kit. Caught his biggest yet.” Who knows: maybe he’ll follow in Littler’s prodigious footsteps.
Cass Rooney
The baby of the family joined his mother to model for her second By Coleen Primark collection – which evidently meant a lot to her. She said at the launch this week that her family “are very proud” for the collection, and “having Cass as part of the kids wear photoshoot was such a special moment”.
The eight-year-old is indeed a rather adorable addition, despite his questionable buzz cut-with-mini-fringe – which was inspired by Brazilian footballing legend Ronaldo’s hairdo from the 2002 World Cup. Cass is another keen player, currently involved with Everton’s youth programme (just as father Wayne was).
The Primark pictures are a triumph for Coleen: she spoke frankly on Nicky Byrne’s podcast in 2025 about their home being a “madhouse”, comparing having four boys to being at “a WWE wrestling match”. But here is Cass looking smart and smiling serenely at his mother – a great ad for the Rooney parenting method as much as the clothing.
Recommended
Brooklyn Beckham accuses parents of using sister for staged photo-op
