Even by Wayne Rooney's standards of defying all reasonable expectations his first appearance for Manchester United will go down in the club's annals as the most impressive debut that Old Trafford has ever witnessed. He did not quite manage to silence the boisterous Turkish supporters but his hat-trick here was the notification that Sir Alex Ferguson is blessed with a player who can make up for whatever inadequacies exist elsewhere in the team.
Those deficiencies were evident in the second half when Ferguson's players allowed carelessness to infiltrate their performance, but by then Rooney had ensured their first victory in Group D. The England striker left the pitch to a standing ovation with the match ball as his souvenir for a remarkable night's work, a performance which incorporated vision, finesse and the embryonic signs of a partnership with Ruud van Nistelrooy that could inspire feelings of trepidation in the world's most accomplished defender.
Rooney's mere inclusion was guaranteed to generate a crackle of excitement inside Old Trafford but there was still something extraordinary about the way in which he consigned the likes of Van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs, as well as they played, to a place in the supporting cast. Every time he took possession he shimmered with menace. He showed anticipation, courage, immaculate control and his goals were exquisite, from the two thumping shots that helped United to a 3-0 half-time lead to the wonderfully taken free-kick with which he completed his hat-trick eight minutes after the restart.
For aesthetic quality, the best was probably the last, but there was individual excellence attached to all three. First when Van Nistelrooy's through-ball bisected the visiting defence and Rooney's instinctive left-foot shot soared into the net. Then when the £27m signing from Everton picked up the ball and, unfazed by several defenders, drove a magnificent shot beyond Rustu Recber. Left foot, right foot - it does not seem to matter to Rooney. It began to feel like a trick of the mind that Ferguson's experimentation elsewhere in his side had provoked so much disquiet before the kick-off.'