Mirror readers crown World Cup's best pundit as Rooney beats Roy Keane

Wayne Rooney has been crowned as the best pundit during the World Cup by Mirror readers. The former England and Manchester United striker was one of the BBC's star signings for the tournament and made an impact with viewers.

The 40-year-old has taken to punditry in recent years after his foray into management ended with Plymouth Argyle in 2024. While he largely struggled in the dugout, Rooney has settled well in front of the camera, with his analysis and standing in the game a good combination.

He was a regular fixture on the BBC during the 104-game World Cup in North America, providing some memorable moments. His brutally honest opinion on the World Cup final half-time show, which featured Madonna, the Muppets, Justin Bieber and Shakira, went viral and appears to have gone down well with viewers.

The Mirror asked readers to vote for their favourite World Cup pundit, with Rooney up against his ex-Manchester United team-mates Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as their ITV colleague Emma Hayes.

We received 4,604 votes, with Rooney coming out as the clear winner, attracting Rooney 41 per cent of the clicks ahead of Keane on 29 per cent. Former Chelsea women boss Hayes got 7 per cent, while came in last on Neville 6 per cent, with 16 per cent voting for other.

Rooney, who reportedly signed a two-year contract with the BBC in 2025 which is worth £800,000, was given plenty of responsibility to conduct the tactical analysis around games. His forthright opinions, particularly on Thomas Tuchel's approach with England, won over audiences.

Meanwhile, his comfort on screen with former England team-mates Joe Hart and Micah Richards shone through. And the fact he followed through with his promise to go rowing after Norway made it to the quarter-finals and he lost a bet with Erling Halaand showed his lighter side.

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ITV's coverage saw Keane, Neville and Ian Wright take centre stage as their top pundits, while Hayes was used to give in-depth tactical analysis during the hydration breaks. Keane was on his typical form, but clearly Neville's opinions didn't go down as well.

Rooney's win reflects wider viewing habits, with the BBC comfortably beating ITV in the ratings battle for the final between Spain and Argentina. With both channels showing the showpiece on Sunday in New Jersey, the BBC's average audience of 9.7 million viewers was far higher than ITV's 2.4m. The BBC peaked at 13.6m, ahead of ITV's 3.4m.

BBC bosses will likely see the figures as vindication for their decision not to broadcast the majority of the tournament from the United States. While ITV forked out for an impressive Brooklyn studio, the BBC anchored the vast majority of their coverage from Salford.