On Wednesday night, Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney will walk out on the pitch at Old Trafford for his testimonial match – marking twelve years at the biggest club in the country.
Rooney has come a very long way since his debut hat-trick. Our talisman has reached the highest of highs and the lowest of lows – from a red card at Euro 2004 to being named United and England captain in quick succession more recently, Wayne has been through the mill as a United player. Hated by many and loved by even more, he is a remarkable player, a unique game changer who will cover every blade of grass on the pitch in chasing victory.
He’s closing in on Sir Bobby Charlton’s Manchester United goalscoring record and has already out-scored him for the Three Lions. Naturally, this means that there are a lot more than 5 scintillating goals to choose from, but here are five of Wayne’s finest:
5) vs Portsmouth – FA Cup
1-0 up with 8 minutes of normal time to go, Manchester United were happy to see the game out by stifling Portsmouth of the ball – but Rooney took it upon himself to make sure of victory with this Cantona-esque effort. Exquisite.
4) vs West Ham United – PL
With David Beckham watching from the stands, Rooney decided to emulate the onlooking United legend by striking a wonderful effort from the halfway line – you could argue that this goal is better than Beckham’s vs Wimbledon, as Rooney had to shrug off his marker and hit the ball on the half-volley.
3) vs Barcelona – CL Final
Possibly the Englishman’s biggest goal yet in terms of occasion, unfortunately, it was not enough to see United win the Champions League in 2011 – but it did level the scores at the time and could have had huge significance had things gone a little differently. The link-up leading up to the goal is brilliant to watch and the finish speaks for itself. There is no doubt that Rooney can produce the goods at the highest level.
2) vs Newcastle – PL
I’m not really too sure what to say about this goal. What a ridiculous effort. To quote Alan Partridge, ‘he must have a foot like a traction engine!’. The power, precision and vision here are out of this world. Take a bow.
1) vs Manchester City – PL
As a long-serving United player, Rooney has seen many Manchester derbies come and go in his time, but is there a better game to score in? Apparently not, especially when you do it like this. The goal was named the best of the first 20 years of the Premier League era, and rightly so. To score this goal in any match would be amazing, but to win your team three points against your local rivals in doing so just makes it all the better. Let’s not pretend we haven’t all watched this 500 times on loop at some point!
Do you agree with this Top 5? Tweet us @ReadManUtd with your favourite Rooney goals!
