Wayne Rooney poked fun at his fitness levels after rolling back the years to fire in a sensational free-kick for the Manchester United Legends against Celtic on his return to Old Trafford.
The star-studded match, which raised over £1million for the Manchester United Foundation, ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Gary Hooper cancelling out Rooney’s 42nd-minute wondergoal.
United’s team, managed by Bryan Robson and featuring the likes of Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Dimitar Berbatov and Rooney, went on to lose 5-4 on penalties in front of a 33,000-strong crowd at the Theatre of Dreams.
Rooney’s free-kick in the closing stages of the first half was undoubtedly the standout moment of quality in the contest and the sensational effort prompted a huge cheer from United’s supporters in the stands.
Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc could only stand and admire the strike as it curled over the wall and into the top left corner of the net.
‘Yeah, I’m alright with the ball at my feet. It’s just the running part!’ Rooney – United’s all-time record scorer – joked when speaking to MUTV after his goal.
‘I was tempted to shoot more but wanted to keep the ball as well.’
Ahead of kick-off, Rooney – now the manager of Championship outfit Plymouth Argyle – admitted he was ‘scared’ to put on his boots again after being away from the game for so long.
‘It’s a bit scary to be honest. It’s my first game for a long time,’ he said.
‘But no, I’m looking forward to it, being back on the pitch and seeing the fans again will be great.
‘It’s always great to see the team-mates you played with and some players who I didn’t play with as well.’
The former United and England captain was delighted to be involved and contribute towards a ‘great cause’.
‘The Manchester United Foundation has done a great job. Obviously I’ve been involved with it for a long time and seeing it with the work its done first-hand, it’s great,’ he added.
‘Any time we can give to try and help with that… it’s always great to do that.
‘It’s a great cause and hopefully it helps a lot of young children.’