Frank Lampard responds to Wayne Rooney's bizarre claims he was 'tucked into bed' by Chelsea's masseur while on England duty - MSN

[Harry Bamforth]

• Rooney claimed Chelsea masseur Billy McCulloch helped Lampard get to sleep
• McCulloch began treating England players while Steve McLaren was in charge
• LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! Playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield was a ‘progressive move but regrettably it didn’t work’

Frank Lampard has refuted claims made by Wayne Rooney that he used to get massaged to sleep by Chelsea's masseur while on England duty.


The 46-year-old was capped 106 times for the Three Lions and was part of the 'Golden Generation' alongside Rooney earlier this century.

Lampard's former England teammate had previously revealed that the midfielder used to enjoy late-night muscle therapy sessions from Chelsea's Billy McCulloch, alongside John Terry.

However, Lampard, who is currently away in Germany on punditry duty with the BBC for Euro 2024, has set the record straight.

'I need to have a word with him because I call it selective memory, I don't know what I'll call it, maybe he has got the wrong end of the stick,' he said on BBC 5Live podcast, Football Daily.



Lampard added: 'I certainly never had my feet rubbed to make me fall asleep in my room. I'm just going to correct [it] here, I'm not going to speak for John [Terry].'


The Chelsea masseur, McCulloch, was a much-loved member of the Blues setup during Lampard and Terry's time at the club.

Known as Bill Blood, the masseuse joined the England set-up during Steve McLaren's tenure at the helm.

Rooney swore on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, that the two Chelsea legends received massages in the depths of the night from McCulloch.

'I used to get one [massage] at 9pm, but the last ones after me were always JT [Terry] and Lamps [Lampard],' claimed Rooney.

'Bill, who was the Chelsea masseur, was there and he’d massage them, then they’d go into bed and get their feet out under the bed, and he’d massage them until they fell asleep.

'Massage their feet until they fell asleep then he tucked them in. I swear.'



Upon hearing what Rooney had to say, Lampard found it hard to picture such events unfolding and decided to share his side of the story while speaking to BBC presenter Mark Chapman.

Lampard said: 'The story is, Billy the masseur, who was at Chelsea and was at England for a period of time, we were all very close.

'Naturally, we would work with Billy in the medical room and do work, which is very normal. I'm sure Wayne's had a similar situation.

'I'm just trying to picture myself falling asleep and Billy's finishing and quietly leaving the room. I would have been quite uncomfortable with that, and I love Billy.

'It absolutely didn't happen. I've got witnesses, speak to Billy, get him on or whatever. It didn't happen.'


But despite everything that Rooney had to say, Lampard saw the funny side of the whole situation.

'Listen, I am all fair game, I don't mind at all. I am very relaxed about it, but I don't want the wrong picture of myself. I'll have a chat with Wayne, he won't care, it's said now isn't it.'

Read more