“My cross wasn’t perfect, but I could never have imagined such a spectacular finish as that” Former Manchester United star Nani describes his assist for Wayne Rooney’s overhead kick

Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring an overhead kick for Manchester United against Manchester City in February 2011.

Manchester United have few moments quite as iconic as Wayne Rooney’s bicycle kick against Manchester City back in 2011.

The Red Devils, top of the league at the time, were locked at 1-1 with their neighbours at Old Trafford heading towards the final 10 minutes when the England international quite literally plucked a winner out of the sky.

“It defies description,” Martin Tyler famously bellowed into his microphone after the ball crashed into the back of the net. Hold our beer, Martin.

Nani describes his role in "beautiful" Rooney goal

Nani, scorer of the game’s opening goal, before David Silva equalised, was given far too much space to think on the inside right flank by Pablo Zabaleta and swept in an outswinging cross with only two red shirts in the box.

Rooney and his marker, Vincent Kompany, both recognise in almost perfect synchrony that the ball is drifting behind them. It wrongfoots the Belgian, who slips to the ground, while the determined forward plants his foot in the ground, before flinging his body towards the ground and throwing his right boot into the air in an attempt to meet the ball.

Rooney won the game for United with his goal (Image credit: Getty Images)

Meet it does, off his shin, some lament. Does it matter? Not a bit. Even now, over 15 years after the fact, it ranks as one of the all-time great Premier League goals.

“It’s one of those goals that stays in people’s memories forever,” assister Nani tells FourFourTwo now.

“It was extraordinary technique – when I crossed the ball, my intention was for him to head it. The cross wasn’t perfect, it was drifting backwards.

“Finishing that move was anything but easy, and I could never have imagined such a spectacular solution.”

That is some praise, coming from a man who, it was once reported, got himself told off by Sir Alex Ferguson for being too acrobatic in his own celebrations during his United career.

It may not have been the perfect cross from Nani, but created one of the league's most memorable moments (Image credit: Getty Images)

It was a goal always destined for compilation videos of the best goals, but the context makes it that bit sweeter.

Not only is it a late winner, but it came against one of the club’s most bitter rivals, towards the tail end of a season that would end in Premier League glory for the red half of Manchester. Were the scriptwriters of the next great football film to write in this goal, it’d get knocked down for lack of realism.

“The still image of that moment is beautiful,” Nani concludes. “Unexpected, brilliant, and more special because of the opponent.”