Rooney brother celebrates sensation against Crystal Palace

Sixth division team surprisingly advanced

Brother creates a sensation – ex-striker fights back tears

Macclesfield FC makes history in the FA Cup and defeats defending champions Crystal Palace. The emotional victory has deeper reasons.

Former international Wayne Rooney fought back tears after his younger brother John’s historic cup coup. As a TV expert for the BBC, England’s former captain saw live how sixth division club FC Macclesfield knocked defending champions Crystal Palace out of the competition 2-1 – and thus made FA Cup history.

“I’m getting emotional,” Rooney said on the microphone. “To see my younger brother, who hasn’t been a manager long, defeat a Premier League team… I’m so proud.” It was a “great achievement. What he achieved today is absolutely outstanding.”

Never before has a team from the sixth division defeated a Premier League club. The difference between the two clubs in the English league system is 117 places.

The win, meanwhile, was also an emotional act of coping for Macclesfield as the team comes to terms with the loss of their player Ethan McLeod. The attacker died in an accident in December at the age of 21.

Before the game, coach John Rooney received a message from McLeod’s father, which he only shared after the game out of consideration for his players. “I didn’t want to add any extra pressure,” Rooney explained.

This is another milestone for Macclesfield FC, which was dissolved and re-founded in 2020 after financial difficulties. Since its founding, the club has achieved three promotions in four years. John Rooney, for whom this is his first coaching position, would now like to visit the late player’s parents with his team. “We all stick together,” said the coach. “It will never get easier. We still have pictures in the locker rooms that will never go away.”