The best goal in Premier League history? 10 years ago, van Persie scored a sensational volley, Rooney as a passer

It was the 2012/13 season when Manchester United last won the Premier League winner’s trophy. The legendary Sir Alex Ferguson was coming off the bench after that season, with the duo of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney shining in attack. And it was this duo who provided one of the best goals in the competition’s history.

In 2012, it was quite a busy summer at Old Trafford. Manchester United brought in Shinji Kagawa to usher in a new era, but the Japanese playmaker was eventually overlooked. Indeed, when Sir Alex Ferguson found out that Robin van Persie might arrive, he didn’t hesitate.

So the Arsenal legend changed jersey after years and the Red Devils acquired one of the best strikers of his time. While no longer the youngest, there was a good chance he would deliver instant success. Rather than Kagawa, Wayne Rooney played under the spike and a stellar duo was formed.

Although Rooney’s season didn’t go so well in terms of numbers relative to his other seasons, he got on extremely well with van Persie. The two were able to match each other perfectly and thanks to Rooney’s complexity, the Dutch sharpshooter had an awesome service.

After all, Rooney notched up 14 competitive assists that season, he hadn’t had more before. It was van Persie who specialised in what he does best. He scored goals. He scored 26 in the league alone, and won the crown for king of goalscorers. Across all competitions, he scored 30 times.

The aforementioned star duo also contributed to arguably one of the best goals in the history of England’s top competition. It was April 22, 2013, when Rooney sent a wonderful pass from his own half in front of Aston Villa’s penalty area, and van Persie sent it straight into the net from a volley.

As mentioned, immediate success came in the form of a league title after van Persie’s arrival.

The Dutch sharpshooter was at Old Trafford for two more seasons, but unfortunately he didn’t follow up his opening season with numbers, although they certainly didn’t end in failure. He later played for Fenerbahce and Feyenoord, where he started his career.

Source: Premier League, Twitter, Transfermarkt