logo
logo

Watch: Memphis Depay’s rabona nutmeg that made a player want to cry

Memphis Depay was never given time to prove himself at Manchester United – but a rabona nutmeg on FC Midtjylland’s Andre Romer really should have told everyone this was a player worth persisting with.

A £25million signing from PSV, Memphis started only 16 games under Louis van Gaal in the Premier League in 2015-16 and was afforded even fewer chances by Jose Mourinho the following campaign, getting 20 minutes across four league appearances combined before being sold to Lyon in January 2017.

He repaired his reputation in France to the extent that Mourinho even hinted the following September that United could active their buy-back option on the Dutchman, while there was speculation in the summer of 2019 that Liverpool were interested in him.

He’s certainly a player we’d like to see in the Premier League, and though he won’t be remembered too fondly by many United fans, we were delighted to be reminded by a user on Reddit of the night he was so good that he almost reduced the man marking him to tears.

“I’ve never been so close to crying after a match as I was today,” Romer said after Midtjylland’s 5-1 defeat at Old Trafford in the Europa League in February 2016.

“Memphis is the best player I have ever faced. It was difficult to do anything about it when he plays like that. He is the best. He can do anything. He went inside, outside, turned me around and used his incredible pace to get past me.”

Romer was sent off late on for a second booking, shortly before Memphis scored United’s fifth on the night, and though he did not mention it specifically, nobody could have blamed him if he’d cried on the pitch right there and then when Memphis did this to him.

Is this even legal? It’s immoral at best. And we’re all for it.

Throwback to Memphis Rabonna Nutmegging a Defender in the EL. from r/reddevils


More Manchester United

A forensic analysis of Memphis Depay’s freestyle rap on Instagram

Can you name Manchester United’s top PL goalscorer for every initial?

Ranking Man Utd’s 29 transfers under Ed Woodward from worst to best

‘He did the most audacious piece of skill’ – Ronaldo’s early days at Man Utd