ROONEY ALSO WON BIG IN VEGAS

WAYNE Rooney might have been playing a cameo in the main event in Las Vegas last week but he still came across as a class act.

Rooney treated the honour of carrying Ricky Hatton's world title belt into the ring before his fight with Jose Luis Castillo with the dignity and the seriousness it deserved.

And afterwards he spoke with maturity and humility about an experience that had taken him outside his comfort zone of life in the Premiership.
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The Manchester United forward deserves credit for carrying the belt in the first place, given that the majority of Hatton's supporters are Manchester City fans.

Rooney might be Hatton's friend but there are plenty who would have listened to the advice of a paranoid agent and decided it might be bad for their brand.

Rooney's not like that. He's a man who lives for sport. His genius has made him big business but, unlike many other players, he has refused to lose touch with reality. That's what links him to Hatton.

They're both decent, genuine lads who have escaped the warping effects of their fame. At the post-fight party, Rooney smiled for pictures, signed autographs and chatted with Hatton's supporters.

Some times in the past, Rooney has appeared to be a prisoner of his celebrity but in Las Vegas he looked like a man at ease with the world around him.

And for those of us who believe his breathtaking talent remains the key to a long-term England revival, that made a happy sight.