Wayne Rooney left the national team with numerous records but no trophies to show for his 14-year career as an international, but he is now returning for a farewell friendly match.
The 33-year-old was once a fan favorite both on the international stage of the English national team and in the stands of Manchester United.
But with his position as a regular at Old Trafford under serious threat and his lack of playing time influencing the opinion of England manager Gareth Southgate, Rooney returned to his boyhood club Everton in the summer before now deciding to end his international career.
The Croxteth-born striker holds the goalscoring record for Manchester United and his country (253 and 53 respectively) and his exploits made headlines early in his career at Everton.
In October 2002, Rooney, then 16, caught the world’s attention with a brilliant last-minute goal that gave the Toffees a 2-1 win over Arsenal.
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And after his move to Old Trafford was completed in 2004, the young striker crowned his debut for the Red Devils against Fenerbahce in the Champions League with a brilliant hat-trick.
Rooney’s achievements with United are impressive and include five Premier League titles, an FA Cup, three League Cups, the Europa League and the 2007/08 Champions League.
His track record with the England national team is in stark contrast and he leaves the world stage without being able to add another international title to the trophies he won with his club.
He has faced a lot of criticism for his performances, perhaps because he belongs to a generation of English players generally regarded as having performed well below their potential.
53 goals in 119 appearances is undoubtedly an excellent international record, but many will argue that Rooney simply hasn’t delivered at the crucial moments in major tournament finals.
New England coach Southgate decided against using Rooney for the World Cup qualifier against Scotland in Glasgow in June and the friendly against France three days later in Paris.
When the former England defender took over from Sam Allardyce last September, he made it clear that Rooney remained an important part of his plans.
His decision to allow Rooney onto the field put him in line with United manager José Mourinho, who increasingly marginalised the striker at Old Trafford before he lived up to the T-shirt slogan “Once a Blue, always a Blue” he proclaimed as a teenager and returned to Everton this summer.
Southgate called Rooney to tell him he wanted the striker included in his squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Lithuania after his good start to life for the Toffees.
However, the former Manchester United captain informed Southgate in the same phone call of his decision to leave international football for good.
A move to Everton was called off after just one season and he is now in the best form of his later years at DC United.
