He may be England captain on the pitch but at home he's the bad cop parent who does Peppa Pig voices when he reads bedtime stories to his three young boys.
Today the details of Wayne Rooney's domestic life were laid bare as he opened up about his life at home in Cheshire with wife Coleen and sons Kai, six, Klay, three, and Kit, eight months.
The 30-year-old star striker told how he gets into trouble with Coleen if he leaves bottles of Lucozade lying around, but said he was the stricter parent who also helped with the children's homework.
Family man: Wayne Rooney and his sons, L-R, Klay, three, Kit, eight months, and Kai, six
And while he revealed in an exclusive interview that while he was occasionally smacked as a child, he has chosen not to do the same with his boys, preferring instead to talk things through with them.
The Manchester United star also spoke of his childhood dream of becoming a footballer, saying despite doing well at school, he never even considered another career.
And he said his eldest son Kai also now wanted to follow him into the world of professional football.
'But I think the right way to deal with your kids if they are being a bit naughty is to talk to them - talking to them can always help a lot more than smacking them. It's so important.'
He said he and Coleen, who live in a £6million mansion in a Cheshire village and had their third son, Kit, in January, had tried using a fashionable 'naughty step' to keep their elder sons Kai and Klay in line.
Thoughtful parents: Coleen and Wayne Rooney like to talk things through with their boys
'We did have one, but we haven't used it for a while now,' he said. 'We realised it wasn't working!'
Instead the couple, who met when they were both 12, in the Liverpool suburb of Croxteth, prefer to talk to their children about their behaviour, with Rooney taking on the 'bad cop' role of telling the boys off.
The devoted father added: 'Sometimes children feel they have no voice, but they actually have, and if I can help in any way to make sure they actually understand that, and that there are people out there willing to help them, I will.'
Then and now: Young Wayne admits he was a handful at school, but he achieved his dream
'We just do things as we see fit and whatever we think is the best way. There are a lot of things, in terms of the way we've been brought up, that have helped us out and we've tried to carry on setting those examples.
'Coleen and I just try to be the best that we can be, and treat every day as a new day.'
Ambitious: The England captain pictured in action against Malta at Wembley on Saturday
Rooney said that as a child, growing up in Liverpool, he enjoyed history, RE and maths, and loved Denzel Washington movies, but never considered anything other than football as a future career.
The most-capped outfield player in history, who said he still dreamt of a World Cup win, said: 'I wanted to be a footballer as far back as I can remember, really. I just love playing football - it's what I've done all my life.'
But he said he wasn't quite the perfect pupil, admitting he gave his mother - who worked at his school - some headaches as he grew up.
'I remember once I had my ball in the classroom and the teacher took it off me, so I booted the wall,' he said.
Rooney, 30, said he dreamt of becoming a footballer when he was little, and now Kai, centre, dreams of just the same thing...
'It was one of those plasterboard walls so I kicked a hole in it. It was quite bad... my mum worked in the school as a dinnerlady, so it was quite easy for the teacher to go down and tell my mum.
'That happened a few times, and my mum, who still works at the school now, wasn't very happy about it.'
But it was Rooney's granny who he describes as being a huge role model in his life.
'I always looked up to my nan, and I loved spending time with her,' he said.
'I'd do the shopping with her, watch TV with her - she was just a really good character.'
Laughing, he said that Kai, who will turn seven next month, was just beginning to show signs of being embarrassed by his famous parents.
'You can see that sometimes, when he's round his mates, he doesn't want to know me or say hello!
Footballing family: Rooney said he helped his eldest son, Kai, with his homework
'So I make it worse - if he doesn't say anything, I'll go and over and give him a kiss, ha!'
And when he's not on the pitch, the footballer - who admits Coleen 'has a go' at him when he leaves his Lucozade bottles on the side - pitches in with Kai's homework.
He said: 'Kai has homework every day, and it's got a little bit harder this year, but he's doing really well with it.
The Rooney household revolves around family life like any other, with the parents letting Kai win occasionally at Snakes and Ladders, and reading Little Red Riding Hood and Peppa Pig stories to the younger ones.
Despite the relentless nature of bringing up small children, Rooney said he loved it, and said the best advice he'd ever been given about parenthood was to make the most of it.
He said: 'I think just enjoy it, because they grow up so quick. Really enjoy your time with them, because there are moments you might never get back.'
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