Wayne Rooney has revisited one of the most famous moments of his career and insisted that Nani deserves major credit for what he believes is the “best goal in Premier League history”.
The Manchester United legend was referring to his stunning overhead kick against Manchester City at Old Trafford in February 2011, a strike that came in a 2-1 win and has long been held up as one of the league’s defining goals.
Rooney has now revealed that, while he finished the move, the key decision belonged to Nani. Speaking about the build-up, Rooney said: “It’s all about Nani. I just remember it coming up and thinking ‘no way is he going to head that’ because he’s too far away. And he headed it.”
Nani’s looping header back into the danger area gave Rooney the chance to improvise, and the forward delivered an acrobatic finish that flew past Joe Hart and sparked wild celebrations inside the stadium.
Rooney admits he still holds the goal in the highest regard, but he made it clear that the assist is what made the moment possible, pointing to Nani’s awareness and technique in a split-second situation.
The goal has remained a landmark in Premier League history, regularly appearing in debates over the competition’s greatest ever strike, and Rooney’s latest comments underline just how much he believes his former United team-mate’s role has been overlooked.
