Manchester United royalty, including Wayne Rooney, took to the field for a charity match against a Celtic Legends XI at Old Trafford – and the former England star’s cameo set tongues wagging
Wayne Rooney pulled on the famous red shirt of Manchester United again for a charity match on Saturday – but his cameo left fans all around the world feeling mighty old.
The former England star, 38, is United’s all-time record goalscorer after spending more than a decade at Old Trafford before hanging up his boots back in 2021.
One person on X couldn’t get over the sight of an older Rooney in his United kit, saying: “Smh where has my childhood gone.”
Others were surprised by his appearance. While there were some harsher comments, the majority were pro-Rooney. One said: “No man has wintered as well as Wayne Rooney,” while another quipped: “I love how old he looks. Proper footballer.”
His majestic free-kick to break the deadlock was appreciated by all, though. Sharing a clip of the strike – which left Artur Boruc rooted to the spot – one fan summed it up best by simply saying: “Wayne Rooney still has it.”
The sight of Rooney playing in a Manchester United fan left plenty of fans feeling old (
PA)
Rooney rolled back the years in the Legends match (
PA)
Rooney was substituted in the second half for former team-mate Paul Scholes and was treated to a standing ovation from the fans gathered inside Old Trafford.
He left the field with the scores level at 1-1 after Gary Hooper equalised for Celtic shortly before Rooney’s withdrawal. The veteran striker was left with the simplest of finishes after Stiliyan Petrov’s 25-yard strike crashed back off the crossbar at Hooper’s feet.
Rooney and Scholes were joined by plenty of other familiar faces on the day, which was possible due to the international break. For United, the likes of Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov all lined up alongside Rooney from the start, while Celtic were represented by the likes of Petrov, Georgios Samaras and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.
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