SoccerRooney: A goal to rival the greatest

Beginning of Story Content

Wayne Rooney scores against Manchester City on Saturday. (AP Photo)

Don't worry if you missed it. You'll be seeing it again, and again, and again for decades to come. Sceptics sometimes wonder why fans refer to the sport as The Beautiful Game. Wayne Rooney's wonder goal in the Manchester derby is all the explanation they will ever need.

It may be an urban myth but I'm inclined to believe it is true. In Liverpool they say Rooney was snapped up by the Everton Youth Academy after scoring with a similarly spectacular bicycle kick at the age of nine. Genius cannot be taught nor learned. It is a God given talent.

Joe Hart should have paid to get in. Like tens of thousands behind him, the Manchester City goalkeeper merely stood and admired Rooney's handiwork. The England 'keeper should have joined the applause and shaken Rooney's hand.

It was that good. Sofas around the world were given momentary respite as we rose, open mouthed, to acclaim a truly exceptional finish neither he nor we will ever forget. Rooney will score plenty more goals but it's unlikely he'll score a better one.

Essential ingredients

There can be no argument the execution was world class. Anticipation, timing, balance, technique, power, confidence and a little bit of luck were among the essential ingredients. Rooney himself admitted most of those attempts end up in the crowd. 

Goals come in all shapes and sizes. They are all worth the same, so what separates a good one from a great one? Who decides what constitutes a world class goal and where does Rooney's derby decider rank in the annals of glory? 

Without question, context is all important. It is all very well scoring a belter when the game is over as a contest in a meaningless end of season encounter. In other words, the match must matter and the timing of the goal is also crucially important.

The scorer must be under pressure to deliver. He must be able to handle the expectation and produce the goods. He must have nerves of steel and a belief, bordering on arrogance, that he alone has the unique ability to effect change.

Take a moment. Close your eyes and think about those special goals. What do you see in your mind's eye? Put aside club or country loyalties and, as a football fan, just consider those few, precious moments when a goal has got you out of your seat and clapping instinctively.

In a matter of months we'll celebrate the 25th anniversary of perhaps the best ever. Diego Maradona's slalom run from his own half, while beating half the England team, to seal Argentina's passage to the World Cup semifinals in 1986 was a goal of unparalleled individual brilliance.  

Two years later, commentators were, once again, grasping for superlatives. Marco van Basten's audacious volley from a seemingly impossible angle won the European Championship for the Netherlands. Like Maradona, van Basten knew exactly what he was doing.

Then there's the consummate team goal. There is no better example than Brazil's rousing finale against Italy in 1970. In truth the World Cup was already won, but the move was soccer poetry. Carlos Alberto's thunderous strike was a fitting climax to the first World Cup in colour.  

Rooney's goal ticks most of the boxes. It was the decisive moment in the cauldron atmosphere of a derby where passions run high. Sir Alex Ferguson famously described United's rivals as "the noisy neighbours". Let's just say he was being diplomatic for a change.

The result almost certainly eliminated City's dream of winning the EPL title. Rooney's intervention stretched United's advantage to eight points with a game in hand. Both teams have yet to visit Chelsea and Liverpool but United know how to close out a season and cross the finish line first.

By his own exceptional standards, Rooney has struggled since before the World Cup. Like many before him he returned from the tournament jaded and ineffective. Three goals in his last three Premier League games suggests he is finally primed to play a pivotal role in the championship run in.

We love the game for a whole host of reasons. A wholehearted tackle, a fingertip save, a mesmerising run all have their place. But most of all we love it when a moment of sublime skill causes the net to bulge and a stadium to erupt with one voice.

History will eventually put Rooney's goal in its rightful place. As we stand it is goal of the season, possibly decade and perhaps century. Time will reveal its true worth but I sense it is an instant classic.

Follow Nigel Reed on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/Nigel_Reed

End of Story Content

Back to accessibility links