Source: Telegraph
Wayne Rooney: Champions League highs and lows
Just 18 years-old and with a ‘boy wonder’ tag around his neck, Rooney not only lived up to the hype, he sent it through the roof, by scoring a debut hat-trick against Fenerbahce at Old Trafford.
Having left Everton in a £27 million transfer a month earlier, Rooney took two months to overcome a broken metatarsal injury before making his debut.
But he stole the show by scoring three times, including a stunning free-kick, in a 6-2 victory against the Turkish club.
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Roma: April 4 2007
Having burst onto the Champions League scene almost three years earlier against Fenerbahce, the goals dried up for Rooney until the quarter-final trip to Rome.
Other than a goal in a qualifier against Debrecen in August 2005, Rooney had failed to score in the Champions League proper since his debut hat-trick.
But he ended the drought with a goal in the Olympic Stadium that earned a crucial away goal in a 2-1 defeat. Rooney scored twice in the 7-1 second-leg victory at Old Trafford.
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AC Milan: April 24 2007
United rocked the Italian giants with a 3-2 Champions League semi-final first-leg victory at a seething Old Trafford and Rooney was the architect with two stunning goals.
While Kaka stole the show for Milan, Rooney dragged United back into the game with a well-taken equaliser before winning it with a near-post strike in the dying seconds.
The victory proved meaningless for United, however, as Carlo Ancelotti’s Milan crushed Sir Alex Ferguson’s team 3-0 in the San Siro before defeating Liverpool in the final in Athens.
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Lows
Villarreal: Sept 14 2005:
Rooney’s dark side came to the fore against Villarreal with referee Kim Milton Nielsen dismissing the 19-year-old for ‘sarcastically’ applauding a decision by the Danish official.
Milton Nielsen, notorious amongst English supporters as the man who sent off David Beckham during the World Cup finals in France in 1998, issued the red card as United toiled away to a 0-0 draw in El Madrigal.
It proved a costly card for Rooney and United, who ultimately exited Europe before Christmas after finishing bottom of their group.
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Aalborg: Dec 10 2008
With Danish side Aalborg holding United to a frustrating 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, Rooney found himself under scrutiny from Uefa following an alleged stamp on opposing midfielder Kasper Risgard.
Risgard complained that Rooney ‘jumped on my chest’ and United feared a suspension that could rule the player of the second-round double header against José Mourinho’s Inter Milan.
But Uefa proved lenient by allowing the United forward to escape a ban following a review of video evidence.
Barcelona: May 27 2009
Rooney and United travelled to Rome aiming to become the first team to retain the Champions League title.
But United failed to perform and Rooney was left isolated up-front as Cristiano Ronaldo, in what proved to be his final game for the club, failed to provide for his strike partner.
Rumours of disgruntlement amongst the United players towards for Ronaldo for his self-centred performance persist.
