Wayne Rooney has revealed how close he came to playing for another country before committing to England and going on to become a Three Lions great.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
- Rooney made his England debut aged 17
- He came close to playing for another country
- Ex-striker revealed why he changed his mind
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
-
WHAT HAPPENED?
In a surprising revelation, Manchester United legend Rooney admitted he came close to representing the Republic of Ireland at international level after talking with Everton team-mate Lee Carsley. The former England striker, who has Irish heritage, almost donned the green jersey as a teenager as he looked to make the jump into the international game.
Advertisement
- Getty Images Sport
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Rooney burst onto the scene as a teenager at Everton, stunning the world with a brilliant, late goal to beat Arsenal when he was just 16. His prodigious talent attracted interest from the Republic of Ireland, but he would ultimately go on to become a legend for England after making his debut against Australia aged just 17 in 2003. This made him the Three Lions' youngest ever player at the time, while he would also go on to become his country's all-time leading scorer with 53 goals until Harry Kane surpassed his record in 2023.
-
WHAT WAYNE ROONEY SAID
Asked which country other than England he would've represented on the latest episode of Stick to Football, Rooney said: "Mine would be Ireland. I spoke to Lee Carsley, and he spoke to Mick [McCarthy] and I was close to doing it and then, they called me up for Ireland U21s.
"I was like, 'I'm not playing for Ireland U21s'. It obviously never happened, and I went to play for England. I would have probably went [and played for Ireland if they put me in the first team]."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
- Getty Images Sport
DID YOU KNOW?
Rooney is England's most-capped outfield player of all time, having played for his country 120 times before retiring from international duty back in 2018. He is second on the list of all-time Three Lions goalscorers behind Kane, but is still the youngest player to ever score for the Three Lions having netted against Macedonia when he was just 17.
n8rngtd.top