Wayne Rooney was 10 years old when football came home at Euro 96 and all kinds of crazy stuff happened, including England winning a penalty shootout. The image of Stuart Pearce’s frenzy after his successful conversion in the quarter-final against Spain would be seared on to the national consciousness, together with moments such as Paul Gascoigne’s group-stage goal against Scotland, which was followed by another memorable celebration.
“That was an iconic moment for English football, and especially for Gazza,” Rooney says. “I remember I was outside Anfield a couple of times [where four of the tournament’s games were played] and I remember the atmosphere, although I think I was still a bit young to really understand what was going on. It was a good atmosphere about the place.”
What was going on was a grand cultural expression – many would call it a transformation – and, as heroes were made, it added up to a summer of excitement and possibility.
It says everything that, in the countdown to the European Championship in France, the BBC chose to make a documentary about England’s exploits at Euro 96, which went out last Wednesday night and featured Alan Shearer talking to the manager, Terry Venables, and some of his old team-mates in what was a wallow in nostalgia and mutual congratulation.
What has tended to be obscured over the years is that England did not actually win the tournament; they lost to Germany in the semi-final – on penalties, of course. Could anyone imagine what it would have been like had they lifted the trophy?
It’s as if they won Euro 96 – the way they’re remembered for it. So imagine if we can go one better and win it
“I was actually thinking that,” Rooney says. “I was speaking about the programme with Michelle Farrer, who has worked at the FA for years, and I actually mentioned that. It’s as if they won the tournament – the way they’re remembered for it. So imagine if we can go one better and win it. We’d be remembered. It’s a challenge for us, of course and, hopefully, we can do it.”
Rooney is itching to get on with it. England’s qualification for the finals was perfect and, more recently, the team have won each of their three warm-up fixtures – against Turkey, Australia and Portugal. But, as Rooney knows better than anyone, the white heat of a championship is an altogether different beast and the pressure will be on in Marseille on Saturday, when England kick off their group phase campaign against Russia.
Now 30, and the 111-cap elder statesman of Roy Hodgson’s young squad, Rooney can reflect on five previous tournament experiences – the first good; the following four rather less so. The themes for the captain have been metatarsal injuries, penalty shootout heartbreak and indiscipline but it can all be filed under regret, even his breakthrough finals at Euro 2004 when, as an 18-year-old, he scored four times and played with rampaging confidence.
It was obviously a positive tournament for myself, personally, but it ended in disaster,” Rooney says. In the quarter-final against Portugal, with England 1-0 up, he cracked a metatarsal and was forced off after 27 minutes. England would lose on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Rooney had another metatarsal problem before the 2006 World Cup that would hamper his effectiveness – he was sent off in the quarter-final, another penalty shootout defeat against Portugal – while he was suspended for the opening two games of Euro 2012. The less said about the 2010 and 2014 World Cups the better. So, have the tournaments always been a source of frustration? “If you don’t win them, of course,” Rooney says.
Rooney references how it is 50 years next month since England won the World Cup – their only major trophy – and he hardly needs to add that “of course, for English football, that’s too long”. But a professional lifetime spent under the most intense of spotlights has hardened Rooney and he has no tolerance for sob stories. He gives the impression that first is king; second
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