England centurion nearly gave up on the game as a youngster.
On the eve of his 100th cap for England, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has revealed to the Daily Mirror how he nearly gave up on football during his days as a youngster.
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The Three Lions skipper will confirm his status as an England legend against Slovenia today, reaching a tremendous landmark in his career as he represents his country for the 100th time.
The 29-year-old has come in for some criticism for not reaching the levels expected of him when he first burst onto the scene as a teenager in Euro 2004, but there’s no questioning his contribution to the national side in his long career at this level.
Still, Rooney has now revealed that he might’ve quit football altogether at the age of 14, when he said he started to feel like he was falling out of love with the game.
However, a chat with former Everton boss Colin Harvey persuaded him to stick with the game and progress in his career, with the coach telling him he had unique talent and immense potential to go on and achieve great things in the game, even at a young age.
“I think for me, Colin Harvey was a massive help because when I was about 14 I really stopped enjoying playing football,” he said.
“Around about that age, you start getting told what different things to do on the pitch, you’re learning the tactics of the game. I felt at that moment that I just wanted to go and enjoy it.
“I remember going home and telling my dad that I didn’t want to go anymore. My dad was upset with me over it. And then I went in to see Colin Harvey and he was great for me.
“It was really down to Colin Harvey that I carried on. He sat me down and made me fall back in love with it.”