Bizarre Wayne Rooney penalty tale from former PL goalkeeper exposed as a lie by fans – report

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 and go to the left” and Bobby’s like “No! I want you to go to the right. “Anyway, long story short, the goalkeeping coach says ‘we’re going to go right’. And obviously, invariably, they get a penalty at Old Trafford, which they seemed to do every week at that stage – Rooney steps up and of course Rooney goes to my left and I dive to my right,” he said. However, despite the detail of the story, viewers of the show were quick to point out that Bobby Robson had left Newcastle before Rooney had even signed for United. Furthermore, Given never faced a penalty from Rooney during his time at Newcastle, with the only battle from the spot between the pair coming seven years later when the Irish stopper was at Aston Villa. This was a truly bizarre recollection of events from Given, who surely would have known that fans would be quick to call him out on his inaccuracy. Rooney’s response awaits With Rooney now appearing regularly on many punditry shows and podcasts, it will inevitably come up in conversation in the coming weeks, and it will be interesting to hear his take on Given’s fabricated tale. The former Red Devil is filling his time on the media circuit since his disastrous stint in charge of Birmingham City, which lasted just 83 days before his dismissal. Rooney has recently given his backing to Michael Carrick being handed the role of United boss on a permanent basis and believes the club are in good hands with his former teammate. United are back in action next Monday, with the visit of old rivals Leeds United marking the start of a crucial seven-game run-in that will have huge ramifications for the club on and off the pitch. Securing Champions League football for next season would go a long way towards earning Carrick the permanent role and transforming United’s ability to spend in the summer transfer market. Featured image Richard Heathcote via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Conner Botterill Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for three years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology through the Open University. His favourite match attended was the Champions League victory in Paris under one the guidance of one of his idols, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.