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Manchester United went to AC Milan last Wednesday with a justified degree of optimism to get a good first leg result in the Champions League. As it turned out they got a fantastic 3-2 win and it was Wayne Rooney who inspired the Reds after a dodgy start.
If dressing room reports are to be believed Rooney lambasted both his midfield and defenders for a shocking first half performance that resulted in United luckily, after a Paul Scoles mishit, going in level at the interval.
His second half performance was an inspired one with two quality headers and his all-round excellence have given United the edge for the second leg in two weeks' time. He has been in the shadow of Messi and, in particular, Ronaldo for the past four seasons but, is this the moment for the boy from Merseyside to finally shine?
The remainder of this season and especially the World Cup will give us the answer.
Although there had been much talk about Rooney's talents ever since he was 10 years old the story began for Rooney on October 19, 2002, five days before his 17th birthday. Everton were drawing with Arsenal who were reining champions and on a 30-match unbeaten run when Rooney came off the bench to join the fray. No one, though, could have expected his first meaningful contribution when he picked the ball up 30 yards out and smashed it past David Seaman into the far top corner.
The boy had arrived and anyone who witnessed that goal could not have thought otherwise. It was Shane Warne's 'wonder ball' or Tiger Woods first Augusta Masters's moment. He stole every back page the next day and it has proved a struggle to remove him from them ever since. His importance to England has reached such a peak that no right-minded individual could ever believe his national side would have the slightest hope this year in South Africa without him.
His first Champions League game was no less spectacular when he scored a hat-trick of wonderful goals against Fenerbahce in a 6-2 win.
His move from Everton to United had, of course, caused much controversy but once the dust had settled not many, even Evertonians, could not see that his talents deserved to be on the biggest stage possible. He still gets some stick - as he did last weekend - when the two sides met but the number of dissenters gets smaller every year.
Unfortunately for United's title hopes he was unable to perform to his very best and a 3-1 defeat was nothing more than Everton deserved. It leaves the Reds four points adrift of Chelsea and they will now be looking over their shoulders as Arsenal close in on them as well.
Alex Ferguson believes Rooney is a throwback to a bygone age when players were tough as well as talented and he is not fragile like many of his peers. Speaking to the Observer newspaper he said he was not "cocooned by agents, mothers and fathers or psychologists ... Rooney's a cut of the old days. He says give me the ball and I will show you how good I am."
The likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona may come knocking at some point - and he may be tempted - but it is doubtful that will happen soon and, in reality, like so many things at Old Trafford it will depend on when Ferguson decides to leave the club.
It is this summer, though, that Rooney will be looking to have his Maradona or Zidane moment and lead his team to the World Cup final and although Spain and Brazil look stronger it is possible that he has one of those tournaments and takes the world by storm.
Rooney has come a long way from the tempestuous boy that once sulked and argued his way through 90 minutes and although that burning desire is still there, he is a lot more controlled and only the next few months will tell us if he is ready to fulfil his destiny.
