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Wayne Rooney has revealed his “perfect pass” led to the greatest goal ever in the Premier League – and won Manchester United the title at the same time.
Fatman and Robin
Speaking on his BBC podcast, Rooney lauded Robin van Persie’s volley against Aston Villa in the 2012/13 season as the “best goal” in the history of England’s top flight.
The Dutch striker, who was signed from Arsenal the previous summer to help the Red Devils reclaim their Premier League title from the blue half of Manchester, produced a devastating first-half hat-trick to put his side 3-0 up.
The third goal – Rooney’s pick for the best ever – was a stunning first-time volley as the ball dropped over Van Persie’s shoulder, after a raking pass from the former England international found the Rotterdam native in the box.
Van Persie finished it with aplomb, via his cannon of a left foot, leaving Brad Guzan helpless in the Villa goal and confirming United as champions, with the victory putting them out of reach of second-place City.
The Dutchman finished the season with 26 goals, winning the Golden Boot and his first Premier League title of his illustrious career. But Rooney is adamant his strike should earn him the division’s best ever goal as well.
“I knew it was perfect…”
“I think, for me, that’s the best goal in Premier League history,” United’s record goal-scorer states, before going on to explain how it was a move designed at Carrington.
“For a few days before the game, we worked on it in training because we knew James Collins and the other centre-back, we knew they weren’t the quickest. I was playing deeper than Robin in midfield and I said to him, ‘if I get it with time and I take a touch out of my feet, just run and I’ll find you.’
“We practised in training. There was a moment in the game where I took a touch, I saw him start running, and I played probably the best pass I’ve ever played. It was perfect. He didn’t have to break stride. His finish was incredible. His technique. And that was to score his hat-trick and we won the league that day. For me that’s the best goal.
“When you work on something, because it was planned, practice, a weakness we had seen in Villa and something we could take advantage of. We never got it perfect like that in training but it shows that if you practice things, during the game it pays off.
“As soon as it left my foot, I thought, ‘right, I’ve done my job.’ I knew it was perfect as soon as I did it. You needed the right height and curl on it, because if I don’t it will end up behind him, or if it’s flatter it’ll end up in front of him. I knew I did it perfect and Robin with his technique, it was a great chance of scoring. Everything was perfect.”
It’s a hard argument to disagree with, given the goal’s magnitude and the quality coursing through every moment of it. The fact it was the strike which returned the Premier League title to its rightful resting place in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season at the helm at Old Trafford only strengthens its case.
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
