Wayne’s Iconic Games, Being The World’s Best & Breaking Records

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0:48You know, it's with the right amount of shape on it and it's at the bar, the crossbar and went in. So it was still one of the best feelings I've ever had. I felt going into that tournament, I was the best player in the world. That's probably one of the only times I've felt that. So I was looking for a clean in the stands and I heard the Scouse voice next to me. All right, lads, your beard's up there.

1:10Today is a bit of a different episode of the Wayne Rooney Show because we are going to not talk about the present, but we're actually going to reflect on some of the big moments, the big matches from Wayne's career and test his memory a little bit. Myself and Wayne and Kay are still joined by Adam, who joined us last week. Only one place to start, really, isn't there? Everton 2 Arsenal 1 2002 in case you don't remember that one I think everyone in the world remembers that one don't you remember the name Wayne Rooney 16 years old announce yourself onto the stage talk me through all of the emotion in the build up and kind of what you thought about it all yeah just playing against coming up against Arsenal and you know players I've watched over the last 3-4 years Henry and you know Saul Campbell Seaman Vieira so coming into that game being on the bench I always remember the two teams would land up in the tunnel and the subs would walk out and at Goodison the tunnel's really narrow I just remember walking out and I couldn't believe how big the Arsenal players were they were huge you know like even Henry's big they were massive I think there was Schilberto Sol Campbell yeah there was Seaman everyone they were massive so I remember going out and then I think they were 33 32 two games unbeaten or something.

2:28It was. So I was on the bench and then I come on, it was 1-1. I come on with 15 minutes to go or something like that it was. And I got an opportunity. Thomas Graveson, I just helped her on. It went high. I always remember Saul Campbell backed off. I took a touch and Saul Campbell backed off and a new state away turned. Were you surprised he backed off? I don't know. I don't know if he knew too much about me to be honest and i'm sure he'd seen clips of me and probably knew i was quite quick but i was still a good distance out and um so he backed off as soon as he backed off i knew i was going to shoot and you know hit it with the right amount of shape on it and he took the bad crossbar and went in so it was still one of the best feelings i've ever had did you know as soon as it left your boot that it was going in yeah and then um to score i wanted to score while I was 16 and that was my last game it was October the 19th why were you so desperate to score you 16?

3:28because the youngest at the time and then James Milner broke it yeah I was the youngest in the Premier League yeah and then James Milner broke it same season then James Vaughan broke we won for Everton yeah but nobody remembers those goals that one was like I scored then Milner broke it then I scored in Euro 2004 in Switzerland then a Swiss player broke it yeah so now Harry Kane's taking every record off so but but no it was I remember after the game, we were in the dressing room and at Goodison, everyone stood always, it was all wooden seats and it was all stadiums, you could hear everything in the stands and I remember being in the dressing room and all the crowd stayed and singing and all my family were there and I remember sitting in the dressing room, so it was such a proud moment.

4:14Was it even more special because it was against Arsenal and David Seaman was the England goalkeeper at the time? Yeah, probably Seaman obviously watched them all throughout the 90s. And then to play against these players at that moment, obviously you get used to it the more you do it. But to come up against some of these players was mad. You know, you didn't ever think you'd do that. And then after the game, we're back to... Met my mates. Could you even get out of the stadium? I'm imagining you trying to leave the stadium. You must have been mobbed. And obviously I weren't driving then, so my mum and dad took me home and then they went to stay to the pub.

4:55And I went and met my mate and we were playing again on the street. It was right outside Colleen's mum and dad's house. It was like these garages. Your life must have literally changed. Yeah, there was two moments where it changed. There was that goal against Everton and then my England debut, which was in February 2003. I think it was being a debut and them two moments I think the goal against Arsenal changed it massively around Liverpool and locally but then the game against England changed it probably around the UK and I remember after the game I went home and I still remember the Adidas the tracksuits like Hayek had them and I remember the day after the game I walked out in France the tracksuit and there was a photographer which I'd never been around That kind of thing started after the game.

5:49So, yeah, it was a mad few months. Everyone knew you were coming up and you were coming quick. You were going to be one of the best young players about. Everyone kind of knew through the FA Youth Cup, things like that. But when you go on to the pitch against Arsenal, who were they champions at the time or at least one of the best teams? They were 30 unbeatens. Yeah, so you go on to the pitch against them. Do you know you can handle yourself or do you surprise yourself as well in that moment? No, I knew physically I could handle myself. And then it becomes about your ability or your temperament or how can you leave an impact on the game.

6:28But I knew physically. I think the boxing helped massively, doing all the boxing training when I was younger. It helped massively because after doing the boxing, my legs grew, my hips grew really strong. So I knew at 16 I could handle it physically. and then it was whether I was good enough. Can you remember what David Moyes said to you just before you went on? I'd imagine it would have been just go and enjoy it. Is that the kind of thing he would say? Yeah, I don't think he'd never put too much press on me and I used to argue with him even at that age because I played, I started the first game of the season against Tottenham and I started the first few and then he left me out of the derby in Anfield and left me on the bench and I just couldn't get my head around it and I remember having an argument with him over it.

7:14And so even then, I was always competitive and wanted to play every game. And I felt I was better than the players who were playing. But you don't realise why he's doing it. He's obviously doing it to protect you as well. But at that age, you can't see that. He's just like that. How do you visualise scoring a goal for Everton? Before then, I feel like you were so confident. You probably always knew that moment was coming or you believed in yourself. And I'm wondering if you'd visualise a celebration or what you'd do and if you actually do. I've never visualised celebrating but I've always visualised a game before and I've done that my whole career.

7:48So yeah, probably not as good as the goal I scored. Yeah, and I've never practiced all visualised celebrations. What about the boxing? No, that was just pure impulsive. I'd never... I scored and then I don't know why I'd done it, it just comes to me. so that was it so I never really practised I used to knee slide a lot but again I'd run a few cartwheels in there and stuff you just scored on that emotion the one at Ibrox flopped in it and you just ended up on your back it's wild isn't it because none of us sitting here are Evertonians you guys are Man United fans but I still remember where I was when that goal was scored and it feels like it's such an iconic piece isn't it of Premier League history the goal at Ellen Roll as well sticks out was that the second one Yeah, well, that was the first time I haven't won at Elm Road for 50 years.

8:44Was that when all your family were in the crowd? Yes, and as I've scored, the fans have jumped on, and then as they're there, I've seen my mate here and my uncle here. So everyone on the pitch. So I've got a great picture of everyone on the pitch. It's weird, because everyone knew about Wayne Rooney from an England point of view. We knew he was coming through, didn't we? And it was like, is he going to live up to the hype? It was that Euro, wasn't it? It was like... The game against France. I think you checked Lillian Turam at one point and he looked at you like, who's this kid? That's just bodied.

9:17You just bodied him. But there was a confidence about you as well. Yeah, there was a confidence about you at that age as well. I hadn't seen it. I mean, people talk about Michael Owen, but at that age, I don't think nobody had seen anything like it. Let's not reopen the room. No, no, no. I know, I know. But nobody... I don't think anybody saw anything like it. The way you were moving, I think in that tournament, there wasn't a player in the world playing as well as you were. Yeah, no, I felt going into the tournament I was the best player in the world. And it was probably one of the only times I felt that.

9:47I did feel that and I had the confidence. When I first got in the England squad, of course, you're a bit quiet and you're trying to settle into this environment, which, you know, from Crocs have never been around. And, you know, next thing I'm sitting with David Beckham or Guy Neville, you know, the game plays you've watched growing up. And so once you get confident and comfortable being in that environment, then you try and stamp your personality onto it. And I didn't care whether it was David Beckham or, you know, Mike Lohan. I'd say what I felt and I had a belief and confidence within myself and that I was good enough to be there.

10:27and I felt if I'm fit and I'm playing well, we'll win the tournament. I felt that before the tournament and I think if we would have stayed fit, I really believe we would have. So whether I was 18 or not, I felt this tournament... Do you think that ever changed as you got older? When you get a little bit older, it's because you're physically as good as you was towards the back end of your career. but no I think then when you go to Man United after that all of a sudden now we've got we've got Cristiano there we've got Scholes he obviously he was at England as well but not playing the way we wanted him to or positionally where he wanted to and you've got these like top players who we I think we were trying to win the league but we still think we knew we were a couple of years away from it but we throughout About 2006, probably 2009, we felt unstoppable as a team.

11:31And me personally, I felt physically probably the best physical shape I was in. We touched upon England and Euro 2004. Can I take you back to the Croatia game? Because, of course, it finished Croatia 2, England 4. You'd already scored twice going into that match, but that match was all about you, really. Can you remember how big a game that was going into it? Yeah, because obviously we had to win to go through. Croatia are always a tricky team. We always have been a difficult team to play against. That was a good Croatian team as well, wasn't it? Yeah, and quite stubborn defensively and the little tricks and how they try and hurt you.

12:13There's obviously no VAR as well and you're stamping on your heels and stuff like that. and yeah I think we played really well scored a couple of good goals remember the first one he just laid it to me I think the keeper could do a little bit better actually on that one and then the second one I played one too Mike Lowen run through and give the keeper the eyes and yeah it was it was a good game it put us into a good place going into the quarterfinals Were you aware of the attention on you back at home? Not really, because they used to put some of the English channels on your TV in your room. It's obviously changed now.

12:57You've got all your laptops in. They used to put some of the English channels. And I never really used to turn the TV on. You turn on now and again and, you know, you'd be on BBC News or whatever and you see people in the streets with all these masks. It's like, what's going on here? so yeah but yeah and you're aware of it because you know I knew what it was like in in 98 especially and well 2002 as well what I was like at home and I was as excited as what them fans were it must be so weird though going from being that fan to them being the man causing the fans that emotion yeah well that was a two year period so in 2002 I was at home as one of the fans and in 2004 I'm I'm there I remember in 98 I remember going out by my nan's house on the street and pretending that was Michael Owen and playing up front with him so it was strange it was a strange feeling but quite quickly you adapt and you have to adapt to to show yourself It was a wild England team wasn't it?

14:08Yeah I think I think just that era of football there was like so many great teams I think every every side at that point was quite stacked you know looking back on it like people have been doing it with the 2006 World Cup at the moment and it kind of looking at all the stars that were ever all forwards James Gary Neville Campbell Terry Ashley Cole Beckham Gerrard Lample Scholes Rooney Owen didn't win it was crazy it was crazy it was just like have all those players and to not win a trophy is nuts and then you look at like Greece the Champions League final in 08 was United Chelsea with some of the best players in in europe who were all english there and england didn't qualify in all eight we didn't qualify on which was like you just think of that it's not yeah it was that was my dad well that was croatia as well the last game i didn't play i can't remember i was injured or suspended actually um and then it it was mad because we were we got married in 2008 and so I'm thinking go to the go to the tournament come back after the tournament you've been eating well for a few weeks you'd be a good free wedding diet perfect you'd be in good shape for your wedding and then we didn't qualify so all of a sudden I had to get a bigger seat but yeah no that was that was my under Steve McLaren and yeah to not qualify I think now Nowadays, it is a lot easier to qualify.

15:42There's so many different ways you can do and you get so many different opportunities. But to not qualify, that was embarrassing, really, for all of us. Can we talk about the two? You mentioned the Champions League final then, didn't you? Back in 2008, that one was pretty dramatic as well, wasn't it? Yeah, it was a strange feeling, actually, going into the final because in a strange way, not that you want to lose, of course you don't, but you can handle losing to Barcelona in terms of the final especially that Barcelona team there's no shame in that but I don't think for a few of us losing to Chelsea would have been so difficult to take and to get over we were meeting up with them two or three days after the final and with England so to meet up with Lamps and JT and Ash and if day one would have been so difficult and it was a long day, obviously over in Russia.

16:45Is that the sister act day? Yeah, I think it was 11 o 'clock kickoff or something like that and I had so much time in the afternoon and you know I'm fidgety and do you sleep, do you have tired to sleep? What time do you get up? we had loads so we'd get up have breakfast then you'd have lunch then you'd have a snack then you'd have your pre-match meal it's just non-stop sorry but this whole conversation just reminded me of one of your classic tweets you remember that one that kick-offs at half 12 eating pasta in the morning it's not nice eating pasta yeah yeah but do you know Louis van Gaal's first game Swansea, Old Trafford.

17:33We lost 2-1. And that was 12, 12.30, 12.45, kickoff, whatever it was. So normally you'd get up, it was 12.30, you'd go and have your pre-match meal at 9.30, which then you'd have your pasta and whatever. So you'd be up for probably 8.30, get yourself ready to go and have your food and whatever. So Van Gaal thought it was a good idea to get us up at 7.30 and you have a balancing board here and you didn't twos with balloons heading balloons to each other and he wanted to switch your brain on and you're like don't get us up any area come on anyway you've done it and then we lost in some ways it was a good thing we lost because he didn't do it again we batted everyone in pre-season in that Liverpool Real Madrid we all got batted but yeah going back to the final it was such a long day so I remember I love sister acting I watched that again so I'm just trying anything to take my mind off off the game really and and that was it and then I always remember Manja's team talk was so inspiring in terms of talking about the poverty in Russia and you know how lucky we are and stuff like that which really stuck with me because it was nothing about football and I think that was his biggest strength, how he connected with different things.

19:03I remember driving into the stadium and you're seeing it, you're seeing people on the streets and then obviously the weather was terrible and it was a dramatic game going to extra time and then winning was what we'd... You win Premier League, which was great. and then to be the best in Europe was such a proud moment. The best B2B marketing gets wasted on the wrong people. So when you want to reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 1 billion professionals, including 130 million decision makers. And that's where it stands apart from other ad buys.

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20:47Can you remember the feeling lifting that trophy? yeah it was it was mad because it was there's a lad we know from Liverpool and as we're on the pitch and walking around I think we've collected the trophy we've got our medals and walking around so I was looking for cleaning the stands and I heard this scouse voice next to me alright lad your beard's up there I was thinking who's that he's got a photographer's suit on the ladder I don't know. So he's obviously blagged his way on the pitch. So I was laughing. So then in the party, the security to get in the party, obviously, being in Russia was mad.

21:33So we're in there and the next thing I see him walking around is a waiter.

21:39He's gone into the party as well so he's getting pictures of all the players and I was laughing. I was thinking he's done well just getting into it. No, but it was a weird like celebration which you know it was a release for all of us and then I always remember Alex Ferguson stood up and spoke about how proud he was of the players and praised the players families as well and stuff and then said enjoy tonight and it starts now for next season and just that mindset mentality which you know that again just little things he'd done and said and he knew when to do it It's always interesting because anytime anybody talks about Sir Alex's team talks they're never about football it's always something completely unrelated, but it galvanises the squad to go out and play.

22:26I think anything what makes you think, because we can all talk about football and you do all your meetings on the opposition, but I think it sort of makes you think a little bit outside the box and appreciates where you actually are. I think that was the genius in him. What are your memories of that final? Because you must have had Chelsea supporting mates, that must have felt even sweeter. Yeah, I went to every home game that Champions League run, but I didn't go to the final. So I watched it in Manchester in the Palace Hotel. And it was the 21st of May and my birthday is the 22nd. Oh, make or break the birthday.

23:03Yeah, I was absolutely ripped off by midnight. But no, it's just one of my favourite memories ever. And the thing that I can remember is during the penalties, I was just basically on the floor because I could see John Terry walking up and just thinking, oh, we're going to lose it. and of all people to score the winner, it's going to be this guy. And to see him slip in that moment was just... What's going through your mind at that moment when he slips? I thought I was it, done. I've practised penalties with John Terry over the years with England and I've never seen him miss. And technically he was really good and, yeah, so for him to slip.

23:38And then go back to before we went out, flew out to Russia. So Bobby Charlton came in and spoke to us and I spoke about this before about knowing the history of the club and there's little things which happened and he spoke to us and gave us his term of events what happened in the 58th disaster and I think he got really emotional and it was the 58th anniversary of that so I think we had a feeling and even if it was something which gives you the belief that you're going to win we had that feeling that we weren't going to lose for him and obviously for the families. OK, let's fast forward then to 2011 and one of the most memorable matches in Premier League history, I think.

24:24Manchester United 8, Arsenal 2. A hat-trick for you, Wayne. That was a huge result. It sent shockwaves, didn't it, through football, I think. Yeah, it was a big result for us, I think. Because we had such a young team then playing as well. and a few new players coming into the team. And to beat Arsenal A2, it was weird. And I remember Ashley Young claiming two assists for me, two free kicks. Because I just rolled in, he stopped the ball, claiming assists. But there were some great goals, and Harry scored a great goal in that game. And it was such a weird feeling, it didn't feel right. Yeah, I was in the stands for that.

25:11It felt like... It was like, this isn't... Am I dreaming? It's like the Roma game where you're kind of going, this isn't really happening right. Yeah, it didn't feel... It didn't feel right in some way. I think... The young ladders... Even the team we had, we had Nani Sanderson, Cleverley Young, which was a weird midfield. Yeah, when you look at the starting line-up, it just looks insane. We thought Cleverley was like Iniesta or something like that. And then you had yourself and Welbeck up top. Like, it was just a completely new team and we'd only moved like two years after the Champions League final in, well we had one in the XI as well, but it was like two years after the All-Nine final.

25:48Yeah. The team was completely different. Yeah, that's what I mean, it was such a young team as well. And I'm not sure I might be wrong, I think I scored a hat-trick before that game, or after that game, because I was going for three games in a row, scoring a hat-trick, the third one was Chelsea, which I didn't manage to. whatever but yeah it was it was such a strange feel it was good it was brilliant brilliant feel and it just felt like every time we could going forward we'd scored Young he scored a couple of brilliant goals he did that a few times because he did it I think it was White Hart Lane I think we won 4-0 there and he just cut it always just bend it in the top yeah he scored a couple of great goals and then I was hoping to try and get a hat-trick with three kicks as well and I had another chance and I just missed Ian Bowe it was a hard look at set pieces because he scored the penalty from 2-3 kicks not bad what can you remember of that game?

26:41I was in Edinburgh at a fringe festival and I was like watching it and I was I think I missed like the first few minutes of the game and then when the goals kept going in I was like I thought it was like a replay or something of like his goals looked the same Ash Young's goals looked the same and he was like wait yeah yeah exactly but it was just it was insane like I was I was just like terrorising every Arsenal fan I knew, like texting him going like... You have to have to resolve that, don't you? Also, it was so close to like the Wenger... Well, it was Wenger Fergie still, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah.

27:14That's why it was such a kind of big result. And you had that bit where Wenger was kind of stood on the... And everyone was just chanting at him, innit? What did Sir Alex say after that? That's when he started praising Wenger, didn't he? That's where they became friends, would you like? Yeah, he's like, oh, you're all right. No, obviously Man Utd-Arsdale is such a big game and you go back to when I first signed them before, obviously, what had happened with Ruud and then obviously when we played the year after, there was a fight in the tunnel and the manager gets a pizza thrown at him and the Royke and Vieira, so there was a lot of history and tension between that fixture and that year.

27:58to win A2 against Arsenal was surreal and almost it felt like we were almost dismissing them as title contenders they weren't serious anymore after that but yeah that team when you look back at that Arsenal team it wasn't full of like superstars but they had Van Persie they had Van Persie and Walcott I think they both scored so they had some good players yeah yeah yeah we had De Gea good setting last time he said the penalty I think yeah but it wasn't like a vintage Arsenal side that you were like oh my god like no but when they had Wenger they always felt like a team like we said we had a new team the young lad Jenkinson got sent off yeah Carl Jenkinson I think that was his debut as well so when you showed even like things like that where was it Shevlin?

28:43I fell for him as well like on his debut what was Anderson like because from that game there's a picture where you're taking a free kick and he's staring at the goalkeeper yeah just like putting him off and having a laugh what was you like He was a funny guy, Anderson. He just couldn't play 90 minutes. There's an image of him with an oxygen mask on the benches in there, lad. No, but Anderson was a funny lad, great lad and great fun. And had so much ability, but just couldn't get himself fit enough to... So if he played, you'd know after like 50 minutes, 55 minutes, you'd see him looking to the bench with his mouth open, and he's breathing heavy and that was a shame because if he could...

29:28But why couldn't he do it? Because his first season he was nuts. Yeah, I think it was just a... I think Natalie is a big lad as well and then probably just a bit of a lifestyle. Yeah, is it like he comes in the first season with the Premier League, Champions League, he's also a Brazilian. It's party time. Yeah, Brazilian's after 30, that's it, it's done. But before then, do you think he'd have a bit more drive in him? Yeah, no. I remember me and him were injured at the same time and we'd done a run with the fitness coach and he couldn't finish the run. He's a five-way. No, it was a tough run. It was a very tough run to do, but he couldn't finish it.