When Rooney kissed the Man Utd badge vs Everton not once, but twice

Wayne Rooney grew up as an Everton fan and even came through their academy, but when he was on the pitch for Manchester United it was pretty clear where his allegiances lay.

Rooney had signed for the Red Devils as an 18-year-old in 2004, joining for a fee of £27million, a sum that would prove to be a steal in the long run.

He would eventually re-join the Toffees in 2017, having become United’s all-time leading scorer, but until that point, he seemingly didn’t care too much about anyone outside of Old Trafford.

The striker also didn’t take criticism very well, as was made abundantly clear to the nation during the 2010 World Cup, when he told the camera: “Nice to see your home fans booing you, talk about support,” after England’s poor showing against Algeria.

Both of the aforementioned traits were shown most obviously in two games at Goodison Park, his stomping ground as a teenager before making his big move, when he kissed the United badge – not once, but twice.

The first incident came in 2007. Everton had gone 2-0 up but a goal from John O’Shea and Phil Neville’s own goal had brought the game back to level terms.

With the game – and United’s title aspirations – in the balance, Rooney stepped up when Lee Carsley’s header from a cross into the box deflected the ball towards him. He took it in his stride, beat Tony Hibbert and slotted the ball past Ian Turner.

He was clearly pleased to give it to the Everton fans behind the goal, goading them with his arms in the air before planting a smacker on the United badge and celebrating with his own fans.

OTD in 2007: Wayne Rooney kisses the badge at Goodison Park in a famous comeback

As Chelsea drew with Bolton, a 4-2 win almost secured the 2006/07 title.

We spoke to @barneyrednews