Wayne Rooney, a former striker for Manchester United, has disclosed a harsh penalty rule that Louis van Gaal instituted at the team, which resulted in his substitution for center-half Phil Jones on spot kicks.
Louis van Gaal took Wayne Rooney off penalties
Wayne Rooney said that Louis van Gaal had once placed him at the “back of the queue” for penalties.
The Manchester United icon, along with Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, and Jill Scott, revealed a strange rule the Dutchman instituted about spot kicks on a recent episode of The Stick to Football podcast. He clarified, saying, “For the forwards, you’re at the back of the queue if you miss a penalty kick.
“Even in pre-season, if you miss a penalty, you go to number seven or eight in the queue.” He continued by explaining how this strategy directly affected him, saying, “I scored the first two of the three penalties we had during the preseason. I hit the post in our previous encounter at Old Trafford against Sevilla.
“So for the first game of the season, I was like number eight penalty taker.” “Phil Jones went into the game as the penalty taker and you’ve got me and [Robin] Van Persie,” Rooney said, adding to the situation’s comedic effect. From an early age, it was clear that Rooney had extraordinary potential.
At the age of sixteen, he made his senior debut for Everton in a 2-2 draw against Spurs in August 2002, and he quickly shot to fame in the game of football. Only five days shy of turning seventeen, he scored his first Premier League goal on October 19, shockingly ending Arsenal’s 30-game undefeated streak with a last-minute winner. This marked the beginning of his incredible journey into the annals of Premier League history.
Phil Jones replaced Rooney on penalties (Image: Getty Images)
With the strike, he became the youngest goal scorer in Premier League history, though James Milner and James Vaughan have subsequently surpassed this mark. 2004 saw Manchester United sign the great striker, and Rooney had a fantastic thirteen-year career at Old Trafford.
Rooney won five Premier League trophies, three League Cups, an FA Cup, a Champions League, and a Europa League while playing for Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Jose Mourinho, and Louis van Gaal. He also scored 253 goals in 559 appearances across all competitions, ranking him third all-time in Premier League history behind only Alan Shearer and Harry Kane.
Rooney spent his playing career at Derby County and DC United before making his way back to Everton in the 2017–18 campaign. After moving into management, he is currently in charge of Plymouth Argyle, who are currently at the bottom of the Championship table following their opening 4-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday in 2024–25.
