Skip to content

Wayne Rooney's England highs and lows

Reuters

LONDON - As Wayne Rooney prepares to win his 100th England cap against Slovenia on Saturday, AFP Sports looks back at the highs and lows of his 11-year international career:

HIGHS

Youngest England goal-scorer

- Rooney lost his record as England's youngest player to Theo Walcott in May 2006, but he remains his country's youngest ever goal-scorer. He opened his England account at the age of 17 years and 317 days with an 18-yard half-volley in a 2-1 win away to Macedonia in September 2003.

Euro 2004 explosion

- Rooney's emergence as a global star can be traced back to the 2004 European Championship in Portugal, when he terrified opposition defences with his direct running as England reached the quarter-finals. His four goals saw him named in UEFA's Team of the Tournament and he left boyhood club Everton for Manchester United shortly after in a £27 million ($42.7 million, 34.2 million euros) transfer.

Leading competitive scorer

- Rooney's goal in a World Cup qualifier against Montenegro in October 2013 was his 27th competitive international strike, setting a new record. Overall he has now scored 43 goals, six fewer than all-time leading scorer Bobby Charlton.

Captaincy

- After Steven Gerrard retired in the aftermath of England's group-phase elimination at this year's World Cup, Rooney was handed the captaincy by manager Roy Hodgson. "As a kid I always loved the occasion of watching a big England game on the television," Rooney said. "Back then I had a burning ambition to play for my country. Now to be appointed captain is beyond my wildest dreams."

LOWS

Metatarsal woe

- Rooney was tipped to become one of the stars of the 2006 World Cup after two impressive seasons with United, but he broke a bone in his foot in a 3-0 defeat at Chelsea just six weeks before the tournament began. After undergoing intensive treatment, he was declared fit to play in Germany and strode into the England team hotel declaring: "The big man is back in town!" But his tournament ended in disgrace when he was sent off in the quarter-finals for stamping on Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho.

Broadside at fans

- Rooney top-scored for England with nine goals in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, but he flopped at the tournament in South Africa, where Fabio Capello's side were humiliated by Germany in the last 16. The burly striker snapped as he walked off the pitch following a dismal 0-0 draw with Algeria in the group phase, sarcastically scowling at a television camera: "Nice to see your home (own) fans booing you!"

Seeing red in Podgorica

- Rooney was thought to have overcome his disciplinary issues prior to the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, only to be sent off for angrily kicking out at Montenegro defender Miodrag Dzudovic in England's last match in Podgorica. His ban was reduced from three matches to two on appeal, but he still missed England's first two games of the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

Disappointment in Brazil

- Rooney went to this year's World Cup in Brazil vowing to enjoy the experience, but he met with disappointment once again as England crashed out in the group phase for the first time since 1958. Rooney ended his long wait for a first World Cup goal against Uruguay, but saw his place in the team called into question due to the emergence of Liverpool's Raheem Sterling.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox