The former England captain Wayne Rooney was speaking “broken English” when he was arrested for public intoxication and swearing at a Washington DC airport last month, it has emerged.

Deadspin obtained the incident report from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police, and published the details on Tuesday. According to the report, the arresting officer was dispatched after receiving a report of a person trying to go through a secure door.

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“I approached the individual and asked what happened,” reads the report, “and in his broken English he stated he went through the door … because he thought it was a lift. The subject provided a United Kingdom passport and the individual was identified as Wayne Mark Rooney.”

Earlier this month a spokesman for Rooney, who plays for Major League Soccer’s DC United, said the arrest came after the former Manchester United forward was left “disorientated” by prescribed sleeping tablets and “some alcohol consumption” that he took on a flight from Saudi Arabia following a promotional business trip. The incident report appears to corroborate that story. “Mr Rooney had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage about his person, slurred speech, and was unsteady on his feet,” the report says.

Rooney was later taken into custody, according to court records. He was released on his own recognisance – a promise to appear in court, which means there was no need to post bail – and paid a $25 (£20) fine plus $91 costs.

The incident at Dulles Airport was not the first involving Rooney and alcohol in recent years. In September 2017, Rooney was banned from driving for two years and given a 12-month community order after pleading guilty to being almost three times over the drink drive limit during an incident in Alderley Edge, Cheshire in the UK.

Rooney joined DC United in July after a spell at Everton. His first season in MLS was considered a success and he was instrumental in guiding his team from bottom of their conference to the playoffs.