Earlier this week saw the end of an era at Manchester United – Wayne Rooney has finally left Old Trafford after 13 seasons, during which he became a club icon and broke United’s all-time goalscoring record, hitting 253 goals in 559 matches to shatter Bobby Charlton’s long-standing achievement.
He’ll be returning to his boyhood side Everton, where he’s clearly hoping to recapture some of the magic he appears to have lost in recent seasons. Whether United fans remember him as fondly as the likes of Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs is up in the air, but one thing is for certain – he’s left a huge legacy at Old Trafford, one that saw him score some of the most memorable – and spectacular – goals in United’s history.
Also read: An ode to Wayne Rooney from a Manchester United fan
Here are his five best, plus one classic honourable mention.
Honourable Mention: vs. Barcelona, May 28th 2011
This one wasn’t quite as good as the other five, but the occasion and the opposition – as well as the class Rooney showed to score it – mean it’s worth a mention anyway. It was the Champions League final in the 2010/11 season, the game was at Wembley, and United were up against arguably the greatest club side in modern history in Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona, the side that had beaten them two years previously in the same final.
The game appeared to be going the same way as Barca dominated the opening half with their tiki-taka style, and took the lead through Pedro on 27 minutes. United – and most importantly Rooney – had an immediate answer, though. Barca lost the ball to Fabio after a throw-in, and it found its way to Michael Carrick, who played a neat one-two with Rooney.
From there the Englishman ran into the heart of the Barca defence, played another one-two with Ryan Giggs into the box and then drove the ball, right footed, beyond keeper Victor Valdes into the left-hand corner of the net. The pass to Giggs wasn’t the best and the Welshman did well to return the ball, but the finish was simply sublime.
United went on to lose the game 3-1, but Rooney’s goal was the lone beacon of hope in the game – the moment when it looked like the Red Devils could compete with Barca after all.
#5 vs. Portsmouth, 27th January 2007
Scoff at the opposition all you want, but at the time, Portsmouth were a solid outfit – they finished 9th in the Premier League in 2006/07 and were giving United a run for their money here before Rooney’s introduction from the bench on the hour mark. He scored about 15 minutes later, tapping in from a Ryan Giggs pass, but it was his second goal that really lives in the memory.
Rooney collected a pass from Gary Neville and ran towards the edge of the box with purpose, before faking a heavy shot with his right foot. Portsmouth’s defence – and their goalkeeper David James – clearly weren’t expecting what happened next, as he hit a deft chip that flew high into the air and floated above the England keeper and into the top left-hand corner.
The vision, skill and accuracy of this one make it stand out within Rooney’s canon of goals. The striker was well-known for his pace and power but this was a more subtle finish – reminiscent of another great chip from a Manchester United legend – namely Eric Cantona against Sunderland about a decade earlier.
Portsmouth went on to score a consolation goal but ended up losing the game 2-1, and Rooney’s chip was definitely worthy of winning any FA Cup tie – even if United went on to lose the eventual final to Chelsea.
#4 vs. Bolton Wanderers, 17th March 2007
A couple of months after the Portsmouth chip came this gem. The summer of 2006 infamously saw Rooney clash with United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo during the World Cup, but the two evidently buried the hatchet – much to the delight of United fans who saw the two tear Premier League defences apart with goals like this one.
This time the move inexplicably began with a Bolton attack. The ball was thrown deep into United’s box, but the Trotters failed to capitalise and instead the ball ended up on Ronaldo’s chest. He controlled it and fired a long pass to Rooney, who deftly returned it with a turning flick. From there, Bolton’s defence was parted like the Red Sea.
Ronaldo charged with the ball into Bolton’s half while Rooney made a lung-busting run towards the box on his left. A perfectly timed pass from the Portuguese star found the England international, who took one touch with his right foot into the box before gently flicking the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.
From defence to attack to a goal in 11 seconds, this was a masterclass from two of United’s greatest ever players, and finished with aplomb by Rooney. It wasn’t an individual goal, but it remains one of his greatest efforts in a United shirt.
#3 vs. West Ham United, 22nd March 2014
Anything David Beckham could do, apparently Rooney could do just as well. And this one came in the twilight of his United career too, silencing some of the naysayers who suggested he should’ve been finished at Old Trafford at this point. It was probably the high point of Rooney’s United career under the much-maligned David Moyes, who was fired just months later.
Just eight minutes into the game, a wild clearance from one of United’s defenders fell to Rooney just inside his own half. From there he outmuscled James Tomkins, stepped in line with the centre-circle and fired a half-volley into the air, towards the West Ham goal, where their keeper Adrian was well off his line. All he could do was watch in awe and then collapse to the ground as the ball flew directly into the net.
Part of what made this one so great was the sheer timing – it wasn’t like Rooney came into West Ham’s half with the ball – he actually had to spin after an aerial challenge, look up to see the keeper stranded and still hit a perfectly-aimed half-volley. It was simply an amazing goal whichever way you look at it.
Even sweeter? Beckham himself – scorer of an equally legendary goal from the halfway line back in 1997 – was in attendance with his sons Brooklyn and Romeo, and could only offer an appreciative chuckle at Rooney’s emulation of such a tremendous goal.
#2 vs. Newcastle United, 24th April 2005
For newer fans of the game, it’s often hard to appreciate what a force of nature the young Rooney was when he initially burst onto the scene – a mix of power, skill and a fiery personality made him essentially unstoppable when he was on form. And at times, he only needed a split-second to utterly destroy a defence. This was one such time.
Rooney was actually having a pretty underwhelming game prior to the goal – you can hear the commentator mention that he was looking likely to be substituted, in fact. The reason? He’d become infuriated with the incompetence of referee Neale Barry, who’d turned down a penalty claim by Rooney’s teammate Alan Smith and seemed unable to spot a series of fouls by Newcastle striker Alan Shearer.
Just moments after Rooney had been barking at Barry again, the ball was pinged towards Newcastle’s box where it was cleared by a weak header from Peter Ramage. Seemingly channelling all of his anger and aggression, Rooney sprinted forward and caught the ball with a thunderous volley. The ball flew straight into the top corner, far beyond the reach of Shay Given.
It was an unbelievable goal in a sense that it didn’t involve subtlety or delicate skill – more the bottling of everything that made Rooney great in his youth – explosive power with a certain amount of reckless anger. It was simply amazing.
#1 vs. Manchester City, 12th February 2011
#1 wasn’t really a contest when you think about it. Not only was this goal one of the greatest – if not the greatest – in Premier League history, but it also came at a pivotal time for United, chasing their 12th Premier League title, and it effectively put their local rivals Man City out of the title race for good.
The game was on a knife-edge after David Silva’s 65th-minute goal cancelled out United’s first-half opener from Nani, but it was won by a moment of brilliance from Rooney. A Nani cross from the right was fired high into the box, and as it dropped towards the Englishman, he readjusted his position and leapt into the air, delivering an acrobatic overhead kick that flew past Joe Hart and into the top right-hand corner of the net.
Detractors would point to the fact that technically speaking, the ball came off Rooney’s shin rather than his boot, but that’s like picking fault with part of the shading in the background of the Mona Lisa, or claiming that the instrumental tracks on (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? are a bit pointless – you’re wasting your time pointing out small flaws in perfection, basically.
This goal was worthy of winning any game of football and was certainly worthy of shooting United back to the top of the Premier League, where they eventually claimed that historic twelfth title. It was Rooney’s greatest moment in a United shirt and it still makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Truly amazing stuff.
