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Wayne Rooney left Old Trafford after a remarkable 13-year career at the club, which ended with him departing as Manchester United’s highest ever goal scorer to date. The England legend joined from Everton in the summer of 2004 and, after scoring 253 goals, firmly established himself as one of the greatest players to pull on the red shirt.

Rooney’s range of strikes was a huge reason he won the hearts of United fans across the globe, with 20 of the 253 coming from the penalty spot.

Former goalkeeper’s mistaken memory

Facing Rooney from 12 yards was a tough task for goalkeepers, as his ability to strike a ball made it almost impossible to gain the upper hand on the United man. As reported by the Daily Mail, former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given was recently reminiscing about attempting to stop a Rooney penalty while speaking on The Overlap podcast.

“I remember a time at Old Trafford once, we played Man United away and Rooney was the penalty taker – and his last three went to the keeper’s right. Bobby Robson was the manager and I said to the gaffer “well, he’s going to change his mind eventually...