Rooney wins Premier League goal poll

Wayne Rooney has won the Premier League Goal of the 20 Seasons Award for his spectacular overhead kick against Manchester City.



The Manchester United striker's stunning goal in February 2011 was voted the best ever in a Premier League poll of hundreds of thousands of football fans from around the world.

The Goal of the 20 Seasons is the first award to be announced as part of the Premier League's 20 Seasons celebrations, which are designed to honour the players, managers and football that has taken place over the two decades of the world's most watched and supported football league.

The top three strikes garnered half of the public vote, with Rooney's overhead kick in the Manchester derby in February 2011 got 26% of the vote. Second, with 19%, was Dennis Bergkamp's impudent flick and spin goal against Newcastle United in March 2002. Third was his former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry, who took 15% of the vote for his flicked volley versus Manchester United in October 2000.


Rooney follows in the footsteps of former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham, who in 2002 received the Goal of the 10 Seasons Award for his audacious goal from the halfway line versus Wimbledon in August 1996.

Great honour

Describing his win and goal Rooney said. "I grew up watching the Premier League so to be voted the best goal in the history of the Premier League is a great feeling.

"There's so many good goals in that shortlist, goals that I watched in my living room as a kid: Alan Shearer's goal, Paulo Di Canio's, Tony Yeboah's, David Beckham's.

"To be competing with them and winning is a great honour for me and something I'm very proud of. I'd like to say a big thank you to all the fans that voted for me."

There were 300,000 fans who voted in the Premier League 20 Seasons Awards casting over 4.2m votes in five categories: Goal, Match, Save, Goal Celebration and Fantasy Team of the 20 Seasons. In addition, there are also six panel categories: Player, Manager, Team, Season, Most Memorable Quote and Fantasy Team of the 20 Seasons.

The winners of these Awards will be announced over the next fortnight leading up to an event on Tuesday 15 May when the Player and Manager of the 20 Seasons Awards will be announced.