Flashback: Rooney's debut hat-trick against Fenerbahçe
Thursday, October 13, 2016
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Manchester United take on Fenerbahçe at Old Trafford this week, a fixture with a special place in Wayne Rooney's heart. We look back on that unforgettable night.
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Hefty price tags can weigh down a man. Fernando Torres said that dealing with the expectation that followed his £50m (€57.5m) move to Chelsea in January 2011 was like "swimming in wet clothes".
Now put yourself in Wayne Rooney's boots in September 2004, ahead of his Old Trafford debut against Fenerbahçe in the UEFA Champions League. He was 18 and had just arrived at Manchester United from Everton in a deal initially worth £25m (€29.6m), dubbed "the best young player this country has seen in 30 years" by Sir Alex Ferguson – no bad judge.
No one would have begrudged the youngster some first-night nerves; even the more demanding fan might have understood if the burden had weighed heavily on his broad shoulders, restricting his legs like fetters. Yet at a venue the locals call the 'Theatre of Dreams', Rooney put in a command performance. One for the ages.
United favourite Sir Bobby Charlton had managed two goals on his club debut as an 18-year-old back in 1956; Rooney went one better. He was untouchable, showing no ill-effects after three months out with a broken foot in a dazzling demonstration of pace, poise, power and precision.
His first strike in United colours came on 17 minutes, firing in from just outside the area following good work by Ruud van Nistelrooy. He created the second for himself not long after, sidestepping the challenge of visiting skipper Ümit Ozan to rifle in from the edge of the box. A free-kick before the hour completed the hat-trick.
Fenerbahçe never gave up, scoring twice themselves, but simply had no answer to Rooney. The teenager showcased his selfless side late on to tee up David Bellion for the final goal in a 6-2 triumph. "Rooney, Rooney, Rooney," chanted the Old Trafford faithful. Twelve years on, that refrain still echoes around those parts; so does that display.
