Wayne Rooney recently shared an amusing anecdote about a peculiar penalty-taking policy enforced by former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal. During a discussion on The Stick to Football podcast, Rooney, alongside Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, and Jill Scott, delved into the quirks of pre-season tours and revealed how Van Gaal’s rule impacted him.
Rooney disclosed that Van Gaal had a unique rule: if a player missed a penalty, they would be moved to the back of the queue for future penalty-taking opportunities. Rooney explained, “For the forwards, if you’re the penalty taker and you miss, you go to the back of the queue. Even in pre-season, if you miss, you end up number seven or eight in the order.”
Rooney recounted a pre-season match against Sevilla at Old Trafford where he missed a penalty by hitting the post. As a result, he found himself demoted to the eighth spot in the penalty-taking order for the start of the season. In a humorous twist, he revealed that the team had designated Phil Jones as the penalty taker for the upcoming game, despite the presence of other accomplished players such as himself and Robin Van Persie.
A football prodigy, Rooney made his professional debut for Everton at 16 and quickly became the Premier League’s youngest-ever goalscorer with a dramatic winner against Arsenal. Manchester United signed him in 2004, where he enjoyed a stellar thirteen-year career under various managers including Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, José Mourinho, and Van Gaal.
Rooney’s achievements at Old Trafford included five Premier League titles, three League Cups, an FA Cup, a Champions League, and a Europa League, amassing 253 goals in 559 appearances.
After returning to Everton for the 2017/18 season, Rooney concluded his playing career at DC United and Derby County. He has since transitioned into management and is currently in charge of Plymouth Argyle, who are struggling at the bottom of the Championship table following a 4-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in their 2024/25 season opener.
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