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What were the best goals Wayne Rooney scored?
Confirmation that Wayne Rooney is taking charge of Championship strugglers Derby County on a permanent basis also confirmed the 35-year-old’s retirement as a player. While some claim Rooney should have achieved more given his talent, hanging up his boots as both Manchester United and England’s record goalscorer is not bad going at all. Rooney, who exploded on to the global scene as a teenager with four goals at Euro 2004 – a tournament England may have won had he not got injured – scored a total of 290 goals, in addition to an incredible number of Premier League assists. Here are five of the best and most important goals that Wayne Rooney scored during his incredible career.
Everton 2-1 Arsenal (19th October 2002)
“Remember the name – Wayne Rooney!” – an iconic piece of commentary for an iconic goal.
Rooney was just 16 when he came off the bench to score his first Premier League goal, which has to be considered among his best even nearly 20 years later. The circumstances are worth recanting. Arsenal had not lost in 30 games and took the lead at Goodison Park with Tomasz Radzinski levelling before David Moyes sent Rooney on as a sub.
There seemed to be nothing on when Rooney brought down a high ball with a delightful control. But the teenager had just one thing on his mind, spinning and advancing to 25 yards out before unleashing a curling drive that flew past the despairing dive of David Seaman. Unstoppable.
Rooney became the league’s youngest goalscorer, one of many records he would claim.
Manchester United 2-1 Newcastle (24 April 2005)
Wayne Rooney hit 11 Premier League goals in his first season after signing for Manchester United and there is no doubt that this volley was the best of them.
A long ball from the back was headed away by Newcastle defender Peter Ramage, but in a flash the ball was nestling in the back of the Magpies’ net. Rooney needed no second invitation to thunder home a volley that bent wickedly as it careered into the top corner.
He scored a similarly special volley against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup in the same season, but this one against Newcastle gets the nod as it was from over 25 yards out.
Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City (12 February 2011)
Some players are great goalscorers, others are scorers of great goals. Rooney was both.
Whilst Wayne Rooney was hardly known for his athleticism this bicycle kick, which settled the Manchester derby, showed Rooney was quite an incredible physical specimen at his peak and was undeniably among the best goals of his career. Nani’s floated cross from the right wing was behind him so Rooney instinctively threw himself into an overhead volley which flew into the corner to send the Old Trafford crowd into raptures.
The strike won the BBC Goal of the Season, the third and final time Rooney claimed that award. In 2012, he also won the Premier League Goal of the 20 Seasons prize for this remarkable hit.
Brazil 2-2 England (2 June 2013)
Rooney scored some wonderful goals among his 53 strikes for England, but perhaps none better than this 25-yard strike at the famous Maracana stadium in a 2-2 draw against Brazil.
The Three Lions had a torrid time trying to contain a young Neymar in this game but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cancelled out Fred’s opening goal to set the stage for Rooney.
Rooney picked up the ball wide on the left, took advantage of some cautious defending to carry the ball inside, then curled a beauty into the top corner from well outside the penalty area.
This one might have taken a small deflection, but it was surely goalbound anyway.
Everton 4-0 West Ham (29 November 2017)
Rooney’s romantic return to Everton did not pan out as well as either the club or player would have hoped, but this incredible hit gave Toffees fans another Rooney wondergoal to savour.
Joe Hart’s poor clearance gave Rooney the ideal opportunity to shoot from inside his own half, with his drilled strike from almost 60 yards bouncing once on its way into the open goal. To make the goal even greater, it completed Rooney’s first hat-trick for his boyhood club.
“It was one of the best goals I’ve ever scored,” he said. “I hit it as well as I’ve ever hit a football.” Not many players score from halfway once in their career, but Rooney did it three times.
The first also came against West Ham – for Manchester United in 2014 – and he did it again for DC United during his late-career spell in Major League Soccer.
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