Rooney's son scores first goal for MU but is still overshadowed by the 'little Messi'

24/08/2025 22:35:00 ChampionChatter

Kai Rooney scored his debut goal for Man Utd's U18 squad, but he was outshined by a young talent known as the "little Messi".

Kai Rooney, son of former player Wayne Rooney, was promoted to the Man Utd U18 team this season. He quickly made an impact by scoring the final goal in a 5-0 victory over Middlesbrough's U18s.

Rooney's goal was somewhat fortunate, as the ball deflected off a defender and looped over the goalkeeper. However, prior to that, he positioned himself well inside the box, beat a defender, and fired a left-footed shot into the net.

Manchester United U18s 5-0 Middlesbrough U18s

ROONEY! This time it’s Kai Rooney scoring his first goal at the U18 level!#MUFC #MUAcademy

pic.twitter.com/k1bkTAEDu4
— UnitedAnalyst (@UnitedAnalyst7) August 23, 2025

Kai Rooney scores his first goal for Man Utd U18s. Video: X UnitedAnalyst

Remarkably, Kai Rooney is only 15 years old, yet his talent has already been nurtured by Man Utd's coaching staff. This explains why Wayne Rooney's son has shown remarkable development and promises exciting performances ahead.

Nevertheless, despite Rooney's impressive display, the real standout was his teammate JJ Gabriel.

The 14-year-old scored twice, opening with a close-range finish before creating space for himself inside the box and delivering a beautiful left-footed strike.

Con trai Rooney ghi bàn đầu tiên cho MU, vẫn bị 'tiểu Messi' lu mờ 691153 — JJ Gabriel shone brightly in the Man Utd U18 team

His performance thrilled the fans immensely.

One supporter commented: “This boy is truly outstanding. We have a fantastic talent here.”

Another wrote: “He is simply unbelievable. Absolutely top class.”

A different opinion compared: “More skillful than Garnacho. A star in the making.”

And some even called him: “A prodigy.”

JJ Gabriel, dubbed the “little Messi,” will train with the first team under coach Ruben Amorim this season. The 2010-born talent has committed to Man Utd for at least two more years and is regarded internally as a potential youngest-ever Premier League player for the club.

Gabriel is so highly valued that technical director Jason Wilcox and football director Matt Hargreaves personally took part in securing his future at Old Trafford.

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