Wayne Rooney said he's never before "struck a football better" than he did when scoring from inside his own half to complete his first Everton hat trick on Wednesday.
Rooney had already scored twice in the first half when West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart cleared the ball away to midfield, where it fell to Rooney to belt home a drive into the gaping net.
At 32, Rooney has scored nine hat trick in his career, but the previous eight came for Manchester United, and he said he was thrilled to record his first for Everton.
"It's one of if not the best goal I've ever scored," said Rooney, speaking to BT Sport after Everton's 4-0 win. "I don't think I've ever struck a football better in my life.
"To score my first hat trick for Everton, I'm delighted."
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Rooney's hat trick was his first in the Premier League since Sept. 10, 2011, when he helped United beat Bolton 5-0.
The gap between the two hat tricks is the longest by any player in Premier League history, according to Opta.
"Great hat trick, great display from Wayne," caretaker boss David Unsworth told the BBC. "He was captain for a reason...
"Wayne has played in midfield before. He feels and sees that might be his role moving forward. Especially when he plays like that."
West Ham boss David Moyes, who previously coach Rooney at United, was not surprised by his performance.
"It's what Wayne can do," Moyes said. "He's always got goals in him and technical ability. He's got the knack of being in the right place to score goals."
Source: espn.co.uk