Former Man United and Everton legend Wayne Rooney scored his first-ever professional goal in a dismantling of Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground.
Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground has housed many memorable moments in football, particularly for other clubs before the reign of Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac.
Following Liverpool’s historic Champions League win in 2005, the trophy was paraded around the Racecourse Ground ahead of a friendly between the Reds and Wrexham.
On to the blue side of Merseyside, the Wrexham stadium was also the ground that witnessed Wayne Rooney bag his first professional goal ahead of what would be a glittering career for the Englishman.
Wrexham supporters were among the early witnesses of Rooney, and from the moment he took to the pitch, it was clear that he would become a superstar.
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What Wayne Rooney did against Wrexham in 2002
Wrexham hosted Premier League side Everton in the League Cup in 2002, with David Moyes’ side being welcomed to the Racecourse Ground to play in front of a barmy sold-out Red Dragons crowd.
As Everton led 1-0, courtesy of a goal from Kevin Campbell, Wayne Rooney came on in the 63rd minute.
With a 16-year-old Rooney looking for his first professional goal, the hotly-tipped wonderkid took 20 minutes to find the back of the net, tucking the ball under the legs of Paul Whitfield in the Wrexham goal.
Just six minutes later, Rooney had his second after a darting run from the right. After taking the ball past Wrexham defender Brian Carey, he found himself one-on-one with Whitfield once again and managed to slot it into the far bottom corner from an acute angle.
Rooney would then go on to notch a further 26 goals for Everton before moving to Man United, where he managed to score 253.
Why Wayne Rooney will be keen to see Wrexham perform this season
Aside from his first Everton goal, Wayne Rooney has his own connections with Wrexham that stem from two of his former players.
During his managerial spell at DC United, Rooney managed Lewis O’Brien, as well as Ryan Hardie in his time with Plymouth Argyle in the Championship.
While it did not work out for Hardie under Rooney at Plymouth, the former Man United striker held more of a positive relationship with O’Brien.
In an interview with the BBC, O’Brien stated that he was ‘really grateful to Wayne Rooney and DC United’ for bringing him in after struggling at Nottingham Forest.