Eleven years after departing for Manchester United, Wayne Rooney pulled on an Everton shirt again to make a brief appearance at Goodison Park, as the hosts lost 2-1 to Villarreal in Duncan Ferguson’s testimonial.
Rooney wore No18 – his original squad number at Everton – and replaced former Manchester United team-mate Tom Cleverley with 15 minutes of the game to go. The current Manchester United captain, who moved to Old Trafford for £25.6m in August 2004, received a warm response from a packed Goodison Park.
“The fans gave me a great reception, which I was delighted with,” Rooney told Everton TV after the match, adding that “it was great for my kids to see me once in that Everton shirt”.
The biggest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for Ferguson, who spent ten years at the club as a player and is now a member of Roberto Martínez’s coaching staff. The Scottish striker came on with a few minutes remaining, and was involved in the build-up to Tyias Browning’s late consolation goal.
Villarreal, who played Everton in a Champions League qualifying match in 2005 when a potentially crucial Ferguson goal was controversially disallowed by referee Pierlugi Collina, took a 2-0 lead through goals from Gerard and Nahuel. The game raised money for local charities the Lilly Centre, the Variety Club and Everton in the Community.