Rooney’s pin-point pass wins Legendary Assists

Wayne Rooney wins again! His perfect pass into the path of Robin van Persie set up a rocket strike that the Dutchman called the ‘best’ of his Manchester United career. And it sealed the 3-0 victory over Aston Villa that clinched the Reds’ 20th Premier League title.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you remember this legendary moment: The majestic, precision 50-yard pass Wayne Rooney sent to Robin van Persie under the floodlights at Old Trafford on April 22, 2013 – and the powerful volley the Flying Dutchman put past Aston Villa’s Brad Guzan. It was a magic moment that sealed the win Manchester United needed to clinch the Premier League Championship. That pass now goes down in history as DHL’s #LegendaryAssist.

Watch the video here to relive Rooney’s Legendary Assist and see United players and staff retell the story.

“It’s beautiful”
Nearly every great goal is preceded by an equally great assist. But sometimes the two come together for a unique moment that takes our breath away. It’s truly a Legendary Moment – and that’s what fans witnessed in April 2013.

Though history will focus on van Persie’s absolutely superb volley, the Dutchman himself recognized that Rooney’s pass was truly a special one.

“It was a great pass from Wayne for a start,” van Persie told The Telegraph. “He had to spot my run because I went in front of Ron Vlaar. It was straight into my path.”

“If everything comes together it's beautiful.”

Relive the moment and you’ll see that the pass couldn’t have been more perfect.

“I looked up and thought: 'This ball is so nice, it's too beautiful to take a touch,'” van Persie told manutd.com. “Had it been half a meter to the left or right I couldn't have hit it. Everything was perfect. My weight and my upper body were balanced so I could keep it low and my hands were forward, which helps you control your shot.”

And the flying Dutchman explains just how precise this Legendary Assist was:

“So many things are going through your head and so many different elements need to come together. You need to take that mental picture at the right moment – too early and it's no good, too late and the moment has passed. In that instance, I'm sprinting to reach the ball, I'm looking back at the pass, I'm making sure my steps are taking me into a position where I can strike the ball first time if I want to, I'm remembering where the goal is… then I'm concentrating on the ball and making good contact. If everything comes together it's beautiful.”

We couldn’t agree more. Congratulations Wayne on your Legendary Assist!

Rooney’s Legendary Assist was chosen by fans on Twitter as part of DHL’s #LegendaryMoments series. Be sure to follow @DHLManUtd to share your Legendary Moments throughout the season.

Relive the moments
In football as in life, the devil is truly in the detail. Like last season, we want to relive some of the great details – the #LegendaryMoments – in Manchester United history. Throughout the season that we will be looking back at some of the Red Devils Legendary Moments. We’ll dive into the great goals, assists, saves, tackles, dribbles and free kicks that have wowed Reds fans over the decades.

Next up is Saves. But with so many great ones to choose from, we want to hear what the players, club legends and fans think is the greatest. Follow @DHLManUtd and tweet us your #LegendarySaves.

Go to www.dhlmanutd.com to play BATTLESTATS and share your Legendary Moment.