Former Premier League star rolls sushi in Dubai

England's record-goal scorer Wayne Rooney holds down the bamboo mat with one sinewy hand while the other is busy mixing rice into slices of salmon and avocado.

Carefully, the former Premier League footballer, wearing a bright orange apron, moisturizes the blend with vinegar and water, before wrapping it in one of the toasted seaweed sheets known as nori, CNN reports.

After wetting his knife, Rooney slowly cuts the pillar of sushi into bite-sized chunks, standing back to inspect his handiwork.

"I doubt anyone’s going to want to eat this," he smiles bashfully, turning crimson as he realizes he's not quite as good with his hands as with his feet.

Rolling sushi with CNN in a Dubai restaurant, 230 metres above the iconic man-made island called Palm Jumeirah, is a far cry from the district of Croxteth in Liverpool, where Rooney was born.

Rooney is warmly welcomed by resident sushi chef, Moon Kyung Soo, who cannot contain his excitement at meeting a former teammate of one of his country’s idols, South Korean Park Ji-Sung. The pair hit it off, and chef Moon proudly names the finished concoction "The Rooney Roll".

The Japanese dish is not a common menu item at the Rooney household, admits the former Manchester United player, who says his pallet is more accustomed to spaghetti bolognese or stir-fry.

The 37-year-old's diet is emblematic of his character - despite playing top-level football for nearly 20 years, he's not flashy or conceited, and is almost embarrassed to be on camera.

Wearing a black baseball cap, unironed chinos and an unassuming polo shirt, it's telling that rather than his mercurial dribbling ability, boxer-like power or lightning-quick pace, Rooney believes his work ethic was instead his biggest strength on the pitch.

"That’s an ability … the biggest skill you can have. Every day, that's probably what I’m most proud of," Rooney tells CNN’s Becky Anderson while overlooking a highlight of the city's skyline, the world’s highest observation wheel, Ain Dubai.