Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney is understood to be one of the high-profile names suing News International over alleged phone hacking by News of the World.
The 26-year-old is believed to be one of 46 new cases involving suspected phone-hacking, with Hugh Tomlinson QC informing Mr Justice Vos at the High Court that up to 4,791 individuals could have been victims of the privacy breach.
While the Premier League winner was not named directly, it is understood that Rooney lodged court papers this week regarding the scandal, according to the BBC.
Former England rugby star Matt Dawson is also believed to have launched a case against Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire.
