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“Their common age is 26. They’re within the prime of their footballing lives,” Clive Tyldesley, the ITV commentator, stated into his microphone as England ready to kick off towards France at Euro 2004.
David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Michael Owen, Sol Campbell… this was England’s golden technology at their peak.
But it was the baby-faced murderer amongst them, or the assassin-faced child as some preferred to name him, who performed as if he was able to take over the world.
This summer time marks 20 years since Wayne Rooney, aged 18, went on the rampage at Euro 2004.
“Like a raging bull,” Emile Heskey, the previous England striker, says. “The youthful enthusiasm, plus the fearlessness. He was phenomenal.”
Uncooked, risky and prodigiously proficient, Rooney scored 4 objectives in three-and-a-bit video games (England will ceaselessly marvel what may need been however for that metatarsal damage within the early levels of the quarter-final towards Portugal), and lit up the group stage.
“I don’t bear in mind anybody making such an impression on a match since Pele within the 1958 World Cup,” Sven-Goran Eriksson, England’s supervisor, stated. “He’s a whole footballer.”
Straight outta Croxteth, Rooney’s potential was a product of the place he grew up in Liverpool moderately than how he had been coached.
“No person can take credit score for Wayne’s growth,” David Moyes, Rooney’s supervisor when he broke by at Everton, mirrored a few years later. “He’s in all probability the final of these road gamers that was once the craze if you return to all of the greats.”
That was how Rooney performed in Portugal – as if he had simply walked out of his outdated home on Armill Street, on the council property that formed and outlined his upbringing, with a ball tucked underneath his arm, able to tackle anybody and everybody who fancied their probabilities.
“Soccer vanity, in that he simply didn’t care,” says Jamie Carragher, who was a part of the England squad at Euro 2004.
“He was enjoying the best stage of soccer that you may play anyplace on the planet that summer time and he handled it like he was coaching with Everton’s youth group. He was operating round, knocking folks out the way in which and simply doing what he needed.”
The France recreation was astonishing. Rooney nutmegged Robert Pires, went toe-to-toe with Claude Makelele, pirouetted away from Zinedine Zidane with a roulette flip, received a penalty with a wide ranging run that began from inside his personal half, and revelled within the concern that he noticed within the eyes of Lilian Thuram and Mikael Silvestre.
“I believe you may see their centre-backs have been scared to go close to me,” Rooney stated on the Amazon documentary about his life that was launched two years in the past.
Whether or not you have been watching at dwelling from the consolation of your couch, excessive up within the stands within the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, and even pitchside on the England substitutes’ bench, Rooney’s emergence as a global star made for compelling viewing.
“I bear in mind everybody was simply taking a look at one another open-mouthed,” Carragher says.
“I image that scene with (Paul) Merson laughing after Owen’s objective towards Argentina in 1998 – we have been like that on the bench (towards France). We have been like, ‘Oh my God. Is he actually doing that to these gamers?’”
🏴 When teenager Wayne Rooney dazzled at EURO 2004 🤩
👀 Which teen are you backing to shine for the Three Lions this time?@England | @WayneRooney | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/bNTbCxQjkF
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 13, 2021
Trying again, it was a watershed second for Rooney, who moved to Previous Trafford from Everton for greater than £25million (then $45m) later that summer time.
“I don’t assume he was stitched on for Manchester United earlier than Euro 2004,” says Tyldesley, who delivered his well-known ‘Keep in mind the identify’ commentary line nearly two years earlier, after Rooney had scored that objective towards Arsenal for Everton.
“I believe there was an enormous shout for Newcastle on the time and possibly Chelsea. However there was hypothesis about his future moderately than an inevitability that he would begin the brand new season in numerous colors.
“So this, actually, is your story: this was the making of Wayne Rooney, this was when he got here to the world’s consideration.”
“I doubt how a lot Rooney may give to England. He’s very younger – too younger for such a tough competitors like this. He lacks worldwide expertise, so for England to rely on him to attain their objectives is harmful. Rooney shouldn’t be Michael Owen – he was a much better participant on his debut for the England group.”
Thuram poked the bear with these pre-match feedback.
Rooney later admitted that he made a psychological observe of them – and, Rooney being Rooney, he was by no means going to let it relaxation there.
Within the second half towards France, in an uncharacteristically untidy passage of play from him on the night time, Rooney stumbled over the ball twice in fast succession. What occurred subsequent was extra calculated. Thuram stepped in to make a problem however Rooney, holding out his proper arm, noticed the defender coming.
“I simply banged proper into his jaw after which I appeared again at him as if to say: ‘Now who I’m.’”
Thuram was 14 years his senior and one of the distinguished defenders on the planet on the time. However Rooney didn’t care one bit about that.
When he recalled the incident in 2022, half a lifetime later, Rooney stated that he may nonetheless see the expression on Thuram’s face. “The concern of considering: ‘What am I going to do right here?’”
Little greater than 10 minutes later, David Beckham hooked an extended ball in the direction of the left flank, the place Rooney was stationed near the midway line. With Thuram closing in on him, Rooney nonchalantly lifted the ball over the centre-back’s head and accelerated away, leaving him in his wake. As Rooney bore down on objective, Silvestre got here throughout and scythed him down for a stonewall penalty. It was unbelievable to look at. Rooney was single-handedly tormenting France.
The belief has all the time been that Thuram was disrespectful in the direction of Rooney earlier than the sport, displaying an ignorance bordering on vanity with these dismissive remarks about him, however Olivier Dacourt insists that was not the case.
In response to Dacourt, Thuram had the identical mindset as Benoit Assou-Ekotto, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur full-back who paid little consideration to something to do with soccer other than when he was operating round with a pair of trainers on.
“If Lilian, Lilian doesn’t comply with soccer, he doesn’t care,” Dacourt says. “He’s following soccer now along with his youngsters (Thuram’s two sons are professionals), however on the time he didn’t actually have a tv at dwelling.
“I bear in mind the primary time he met Jean-Alain Boumsong (the previous Rangers and Newcastle defender), he didn’t know who he was!”
Dacourt, who got here on as a late substitute for France within the England recreation, breaks into laughter.
“Lilian stated, ‘Who is that this man?’ I needed to introduce the 2 of them – it was with the nationwide group. Are you able to think about that?
“So Lilian wasn’t being disrespectful (in the direction of Rooney). It was simply that he didn’t know.”
Both method, Rooney was within the temper to go away an indelible mark on anybody who crossed his path at Euro 2004. He had hearth in these iconic Nike Complete 90 boots and welcomed confrontation.
“There’s a well-known Elbow tune, ‘Lippy Children’, and Wayne was that lippy child,” Tyldesley says. “I’m certain that’s what the opponents noticed. He had that mischief in his eyes the place he needed you to recollect him past the sport.”
Crucially, Rooney additionally had the expertise and the physicality to again it up.
“At 16, Wayne Rooney was in a person’s physique, and he knew how you can put that physique round,” Heskey provides. “You wouldn’t have believed his age. He was like that darts participant.”
Luke Littler, who reached the World Darts Championship closing in January on the age of 16, could effectively recognize that comparability greater than Rooney, however you get the purpose that Heskey is making an attempt to make. Sir Alex Ferguson wrote in his autobiography that each one Manchester United’s “intelligence about Wayne Rooney as an Evertonian schoolboy could possibly be condensed right into a single phrase. This was a person enjoying in under-age soccer.”
Tyldesley nods. “You nearly have to look again at footage from that period to recollect what Wayne Rooney appeared like at 18. He was battle-ready when he was first enlisted as a result of not solely was he a gifted road footballer, however he was streetwise with a bullish physicality.
“And having lived on Merseyside for 15 years and bought a bit perception – and I stress a bit – into how totally different that metropolis is from most within the UK, I’ve all the time been of the conclusion that the concept of going through (Patrick) Vieira and Thuram within the opening recreation of a significant championship was one thing that he may absorb his stride as a result of he’d in all probability seen extra scary issues on his method dwelling from college in Croxteth. And I hope that doesn’t sound dismissive in the direction of Merseyside, as a result of (his upbringing) was the making of him.”
Finally, Rooney’s efforts towards France have been in useless. Beckham’s spot kick was saved and England, who had been main by Frank Lampard’s first-half header, pressed the self-destruct button in added time, when Zidane scored twice, first with an beautiful free kick after which with a penalty following Gerrard’s blind backpass.
At the least England didn’t have to look too far for a silver lining in defeat – everybody was speaking about Rooney, together with the French.
“A form of new Paul Gascoigne,” L’Equipe stated of their participant scores. “The irascible 18-year-old confirmed huge combating spirit.”
Naturally, the French sports activities paper nonetheless solely gave Rooney 6.5 out of 10.
Bruno Berner shakes his head. “I nonetheless can’t consider that these guys didn’t obtain something,” the previous Switzerland worldwide says.
“Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham… it appears unattainable. It was a world-class English group and now you may have a younger lad coming by the ranks with unbelievable starvation. That is what I bear in mind with Rooney.
“All of us noticed him in his first Premier League video games. So we, because the Swiss nationwide group, didn’t for one minute underestimate an 18-year-old Wayne Rooney.”
Switzerland have been up subsequent for England and Rooney carried on the place he left off towards France, solely this time he added objectives to his recreation too. The primary was a header that created historical past as he turned the youngest goalscorer within the European Championship finals, and the second was a shot that hit the put up and went in off the again of the pinnacle of the Switzerland keeper Jorg Stiel.
In a group of A-listers, Rooney was operating the present and enjoying with extraordinary self-belief. “I bear in mind in that match, at 18, considering to myself, ‘I’m the very best participant on the planet, there’s nobody higher than me.’ And I consider at the moment I used to be.”
Berner smiles. “I can effectively think about he would say that. He was simply filled with confidence and he delivered.
“He didn’t care who was in entrance of him on the pitch, he took the shortest strategy to the objective. That is what we noticed, or I noticed, at the moment. However you’ll be able to solely try this when you find yourself completely fearless. Not smug. Fearless.”
Rooney’s second objective towards Croatia, in England’s third group recreation, was a working example. He performed a one-two with Owen, sprinted clear from simply contained in the Croatia half and also you knew – you simply knew – that he would rating. Direct and lethal, he glanced in the direction of one nook and swept the ball into the opposite.
By that stage, Rooney had already drilled in a shot from outdoors the field and arrange a objective for Paul Scholes.
🏴🆚🇭🇷 EURO 2004 version: Two Wayne Rooney objectives helped England to a 4-2 victory in Lisbon within the group stage… #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/4FBqU4vEJF
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 13, 2021
“His motion, his pace… he was not human,” Dario Simic, the Croatia right-back, says. “He was a beast – like out of a movie the place you see somebody who’s simply naturally so robust with out going to the fitness center.”
England have been by to the quarter-finals and Roo-mania was now sweeping throughout the nation. “HEROO”, yelled the Every day Mirror entrance web page.
A Portugal aspect that includes a core of gamers from the Porto group that had simply received the Champions League, in addition to Luis Figo and a teenage Cristiano Ronaldo, have been up subsequent.
The host nation could be tough opponents however England have been buoyant after scoring seven objectives of their earlier two matches. On high of that, that they had the standout participant within the match up to now.
What may probably go incorrect?
A fractured metatarsal, that’s what.
Operating for a ball alongside Jorge Andrade, Rooney misplaced his boot after the Portugal defender by accident trod on his foot. Rooney tried to hold on however winced as quickly as he began operating and dropped to the ground moments later. He had heard a crack.
Gary Lewin, England’s physio, feared the worst right away. “I bear in mind there’s an image of him on the ground and I’m speaking to Sven and I stated to Sven: ‘This could possibly be his metatarsal. I’m involved.’ I believe he tried it… what Wazza is like, ‘Let me get on with it.’ However he knew himself,” Lewin says.
The sport was lower than half an hour outdated and Rooney’s Euro 2004 was over. He was devastated and so have been England’s gamers. “It was a kind of moments that breaks your focus, breaks your rhythm, breaks all the pieces in a recreation – seeing your talisman strolling off the pitch,” Owen informed the BBC of their World at His Ft documentary.
Not surprisingly, it galvanised Portugal. “We have been relieved, in fact. I’m not going to lie,” says Costinha, the previous Portuguese midfielder. “Rooney was an amazing participant.
“On the similar time, if you play for the nationwide group and play within the greatest competitions, you all the time need to play towards the very best gamers as a result of that’s the way in which you enhance.
“However it was higher for us that he was out of the sport. He gave us a bit little bit of relaxation in defence when he went off.
“When you may have different gamers like (Darius) Vassell and Heskey within the assault, their strengths. However when you may have an 18-year-old like Rooney, who’s an absolute expertise, typically these gamers are unpredictable. He was very tough to mark and management.”
Rooney watched the remainder of the sport, which Portugal received on penalties, from a hospital mattress, fascinated with what may need been.
Fifteen years later, as his enjoying profession got here to a detailed, his view hadn’t modified. “The shape I used to be in, the arrogance I had, if I stayed match I consider we might have received,” Rooney informed Gary Neville, his former England and Manchester United team-mate, in an interview on Sky Sports activities.
What we didn’t know then – and what we couldn’t have believed then – is that Rooney would by no means come near reprising that kind for England at a significant match once more.
As a substitute, there have been badly-timed accidents, a purple card, arguments with England followers, humiliating exits and, maybe greater than something, inconsistent performances – from Rooney in addition to his team-mates.
So does that imply that Euro 2004 was prime Rooney?
“No, I’d say that was Rooney given freedom,” Heskey replies. “It was off the cuff – you’re simply enjoying. Once you’re older you are likely to play inside a technique and the ways of the group. However when he was youthful it was simply: ‘Give me the ball and let me do what I do.’”
Carragher agrees. “I don’t assume that was Rooney at his peak. There’s little question he turned a greater participant – he had a few seasons at Manchester United the place he was the very best participant within the Premier League. However there’s additionally little question it was his finest match and his standout second in an England shirt.
“I believe Euro 2004 was Rooney with the world not understanding an excessive amount of about him, and him not considering an excessive amount of about soccer. As he bought older and bought extra mature, he would have thought in regards to the recreation extra, he would have considered what an enormous recreation means, the expectation stage. However I believe this was a participant who, as you stated earlier than, didn’t give a f*** mainly, and that was a road footballer.”
(Pictures: Getty Photos/Design: Eamonn Dalton)
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