Wayne Rooney: The moment Man Utd icon showed he 'could do it all' in 2008 CL final | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney truly was one of a kind.

Throughout his heyday at Manchester United, Rooney would so often sacrifice himself for the betterment of the team, putting in the hard yards defensively to such an extent that it may well have shaved years off his career.

It’s crazy to think of the numbers that Rooney could have produced in a world where Sir Alex Ferguson always built his Red Devils side around him.

Rooney’s dedication to the team cause

Because, while we might have gotten flashes of that very set-up once Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez were sold, that most certainly wasn’t the case when the two Premier League icons were still at Old Trafford.

The 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons where Rooney played with Tevez and Ronaldo brought him two Premier League crowns and a Champions League title, but his individual output nevertheless waned as a result of where and how he was played.

Eighteen and 20 goals respectively in all competitions, while still obviously superb, isn’t quite the totals that best represented a prime Rooney.

That being said, the more team-focused Rooney was still a joy to watch if you were sat in the stands or in front of your television, even if his statistics might not have been quite as mind-blowing.

And a captivating few seconds of Rooney giving his all for the team during the 2008 Champions League final no less is a brilliant example of that.

Rooney’s dedication in 2008 CL final

It’s a moment which has been brought to our attention by none other than the Champions League’s official social media accounts, sharing evidence of what Rooney’s game was all about at that time by declaring that he could ‘do it all’.

Capturing the England icon tracking back pretty much in his own corner just a few yards away from Rio Ferdinand, the clip shows how Rooney could turn defence into attack in the blink of an eye.

Showcasing him winning the ball and retaining possession despite Ricardo Carvalho’s best efforts, Rooney can then be seen playing a simply extraordinary pass that would have led directly to a goal had it not been for Petr Cech’s heroics.

All this is to say that, in the space of seven seconds, Rooney showed what a complete player he was on the biggest stage of all in a clip that you’d be silly not to check out for yourself down below:

Video: Rooney showing he can ‘do it all’ in 2008 CL final

Doesn’t that just capture the spirit of what Rooney’s game was all about?

The brilliance of Rooney

That is, after all, exactly the type of pass for which Paul Scholes is so often praised and ultimately explains why Rooney was able to transition so seamlessly into midfield during the final years of his United career.

And he wouldn’t have been in the right place to play that pass in the first place if he hadn’t have been sacrificing himself for the team, tracking back almost as far as his own by-line to ease the burden on Tevez and Ronaldo.

However, despite Rooney’s ball retrieval and pass proving such a fantastic showcase of his efforts for the team, he was actually disappointed after the final whistle on that historic night in Moscow.

An emotional night for Rooney in Moscow

United’s former power-development coach Mick Clegg explained in an interview with The Athletic in March: “Wayne was a huge part of the team and a big part of the success, but he just didn’t feel part of the night because he’d been taken off.

“It really touched him deep inside and he needed to get that out. I felt so sorry for him.

“He wept bitterly, and it felt almost like he came to me because this is what should have been his great time, where he’d done the business and become this fantastic player, but instead he was taken off and the headlines went to Cristiano for scoring and Edwin for saving the penalty.”

Say what you like about Rooney, but you certainly can’t accuse him of not caring.

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