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          It's in the Rooney DNA! Brother John scores from own half to join illustrious list

          • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerNov 9, 2020, 01:11 PM

          Remember when Wayne Rooney scored from his own half? Well, older brother John took a leaf out of the same book when he opened the scoring for Stockport County in their FA Cup first-round clash against Rochdale at the weekend.

          With just seven minutes played, Rooney looked up and let rip from inside his own half to put the non-league side ahead against their League One hosts.

          The Hatters went on to cause an upset at Spotland, holding out to win the game 2-1 thanks in part to Rooney's sixth goal in just eight appearances so far this season.

          We're fairly confident it must also rank as Rooney's most spectacular strike since signing for Stockport in September -- but how does it stack up against this fine selection of own-half masterpieces?

          Wayne Rooney, Everton

          There's obviously something in the Rooney DNA when it comes to being able to launch a football extremely accurately over great distances.

          Elder sibling Wayne has scored several from the general downtown district over the years, but his most impressive must surely be his first-time 59-yarder against West Ham in 2017.

          David Beckham, Manchester United

          On the opening day of the 1996-97 season, United youngster Beckham formally introduced himself with an iconic goal that came to define his career.

          Xabi Alonso, Liverpool

          The silky Spaniard actually scored two goals from inside his own half during his Liverpool days -- one with his right foot and one with his left -- against Newcastle and Luton Town respectively.

          Dejan Stankovic, Internazionale

          Technically speaking, Stankovic was just inside Schalke's half when he unleashed this mammoth volley to score past a young Manuel Neuer in 2011 -- but we're not about to quibble over a few feet.

          Charlie Adam, Stoke City

          Not many players can claim to have lobbed Thibaut Courtois from 65 yards out in front of his own fans but Adam has the archive footage to prove it.

          Rivaldo, Barcelona

          Rivaldo didn't really concern himself with scoring dull, commonplace goals so his outrageous long-range strike against Atletico Madrid in 1998 is really rather humdrum in comparison to the overhead kicks and solo specials in his collection.

          Maynor Figueroa, Wigan Athletic

          When left-back Figueroa began quietly trotting toward an inconspicuous free-kick inside his own half, little did Stoke realise that the Honduran was about to unleash an absolute firebolt into the back of their net.

          Paul Robinson, Tottenham

          Several goalkeepers (Asmir Begovic, Tim Howard, etc.) have notched long-range flukes but Robinson was obviously aiming for the top corner when he let rip with a 75-yard set piece against Watford in 2007.

          Jose Luis Chilavert, Velez Sarsfield

          One of the greatest exponents of the "maverick free-scoring South American goalkeeper" breed, Chilvert was renowned for his prowess over a dead ball -- even if this free-kick happened to be deep in his own half.

          Carli Lloyd, USWNT

          If you're going to score from the halfway line, you'd might as well do it while also wrapping up your hat trick in an iconic World Cup final victory.

          Bonus: Jone Samuelsen, Odd Grenland

          Norwegian midfielder Jone "Iron Neck" Samuelsen definitely earns an honourable mention as perhaps the only player to have scored from inside his own half with a header.