Wayne Rooney has been involved in a handful of charity football games since his retirement, and his amazing strike during the Nexon Icon game shows he hasn’t missed the step
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney rewind years with his trademark long-distance goal in a charity exhibition match this weekend. The former England captain cut his boots in 2021 and has since turned his focus into management and critics, but that has not stopped him from making a strange return to the field.
Rooney recently made another appearance during this weekend’s Nexon icon match for Soccer Aid and the Manchester Unification Foundation. The idea for the game was that 11 legendary offensive players face 11 former defending greats. Rooney joined the team that includes Thierry Henry, Eden Hazard, Clarence Siedorf, Stephen Gerrard and Didier Drogba.
Other teams featured Manchester United legends Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, but also included Carls Puyol, Sol Campbell, Alessandro Nesta and Claude Makelele.
Despite the wealth of talent on the offensive by the name of “FC Spear,” they were defeated 2-1 by defender “Shield United”, thanks to Inter Milan’s legendary Macon and slow goals from Juho Park. However, Rooney was moving ahead with FC Spear early in the game.
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Rooney led his side with only 26 minutes as the FC Shield tried to overplay the ball near his penalty area.
The long ball then fell straight down onto the Rooney road, and he took on his first shot, curling straight into the upper left corner, over Real Madrid legend Eaker Casilla.
Rooney was attacked by his teammates after sensational effort as Gareth Bale, Gerrard, Drogba and others participated in the celebration. However, FC Spear’s joy turned to despair as Shield United came from behind to secure a victory in the game that was staged in Seoul, Korea.
Rooney has taken a little break from management after being fired by Plymouth Argyle last year. He previously had been x in Birmingham City for only three months in charge, but is now commonly seen as a commentator for the day and TNT Sports.
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