Wayne Rooney's visit to the White House drew attention as he was pictured with President Donald Trump's 12-year-old son Barron, but a source close to the player has told ESPN that the visit was apolitical.
Rooney and his family -- wife Coleen and the couple's four sons Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass -- were invited to the annual kids party at the White House this week.
And the former England striker was photographed with Barron, who is a known football fan and is involved with D.C. United's youth team, alongside a few of his Arlington DA Under-13 teammates.
However, a source close to Rooney told ESPN FC that the visit was apolitical, not advocating President Trump or offering any show of support, and that the 33-year-old accepted the invitation as a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the White House.
The Rooney family were reportedly afforded a VIP tour of the premises, including the private living quarters -- though the Oval Office was off limits.
Rooney made an instant impact in his debut MLS season with D.C. United and played a pivotal role in driving the club from the foot of the table and into the playoffs this MLS season, before losing out to Columbus Crew on penalties in the first knockout round.