Former England skipper Wayne Rooney believes that his teammates' ‘fear’ was to blame for the Three Lions’ so-called Golden Generation’s failure to win a major trophy.
A teenage Rooney burst onto the international scene with England prior to Euro 2004, when he quickly established himself in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad alongside the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Michael Owen, John Terry and Sol Campbell.
But this Three Lions side was often less than the sum of its parts, with quarter-final exits coming at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, before the team failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
Rooney has reflected on his early days with the England set-up, admitting that while he revelled in turning out for the Three Lions, he was not sure his teammates felt the same way.
“I think I felt, I was just enjoying it,” he told the Stick to Football podcast. “You know what I was like, I’d be in the games room, I’d be tormenting someone, somewhere – I just couldn’t wait for the games. I remember, not just in Portugal, but then in the World Cup in 2006, I remember after the warm-up and seeing players and I could see fear in some of the players, and I was thinking, ‘well this isn’t good, this’. But I just liked to play with the freedom.
“I used to think that if I played well, if we win the tournament, it’s because of me. If we don’t, then I’d still also think it’s because of me, because I didn’t perform as well as I should have. So that is how I always felt like.”
Rooney would go on to earn 120 England caps, a record for an outfielder and ended his international career as the Three Lions' record goalscorer with 53 goals, a mark that Harry Kane has since passed.
Wayne Rooney was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet
More Wayne Rooney stories
Wayne Rooney opens up on Sir Alex Ferguson fractures and Manchester United transfer request
Wayne Rooney: 'I knew the fans wouldn't accept me'
Wayne Rooney plots new job in bid to rebuild management career
