On this day 19 years ago, a young Wayne Rooney introduced himself to Old Trafford with a hat-trick on his Manchester United debut.
The baby-faced forward was granted his maiden outing shortly after his £27 million move from Everton, and it came on a Champions League night under the lights in M16.
United were taking on Fenerbache in a group-stage clash, which ended 6-2 in the Reds’ favour. Rooney scored three of the goals and contributed an assist – a sign of things to come.
He subsequently became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the competition aged 18 years 335 days.
🔴 Happy Birthday, @WayneRooney! 🥳
Who remembers his #UCL debut? pic.twitter.com/GS0cVaDLVh
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 24, 2019
They just don’t make ‘em like Wazza anymore.
Footage courtesy of the Champions League.
