9 unbelievable Wayne Rooney career moments
Wayne Rooney has always been regarded as a scorer of great goals. This was truer before he went on to become England and Manchester United’s greatest goal scorer. A more accurate panegyric would be that Wayne has been an author of truly great moments.
Moments that do not make sense or beggar belief, moments that leave you with odd expressions on your face, moments that make you shriek at the top of your lungs, and then make bizarre excuses to try and explain it to your mother, sister, etc, later, moments that make you fall in love with the game itself.
He is the proverbial enigma, he divides opinions like no other footballer. We all know why he gets pilloried; for courting transfers, new improved contracts, scuffle with the bosses, personal misdemeanors, etc, not that he is the only one to commit all those mistakes.
He is a throwback to a time when playing ball was just about having a time of your life, on the streets, in the living room, at school, against the solitary backyard wall, or just playing keepy-ups in the bedroom.
He has seldom been the most eloquent or squeamish person, let alone an impeccable role model.
However, he has been a footballing phenomenon, a defiant hero, a tireless workhorse and has given us an unbelievable reel of highlights. His story is a story of the grandest moments. Here are some of them:
#1 A 16 year old who fancied his chances
The memory of a 16 year old force of nature gate-crashing mighty Arsenal’s parade is still vividly fresh. The sumptuous curler went in off the cross-bar to end Arsenal's 30-game unbeaten streak.
The undaunted and unperturbed teenager became the youngest goal-scorer in the league (now it is James Vaughn), and served up a microcosmic preview of what was to come.