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An icon, a legend and an inspiration to a generation, Wayne Mark Rooney finally hanged his boots for his country with immediate effect yesterday.
The former Manchester United man made his International debut in 2003 at the age of 17 years and 111 days as he became the then youngest player to earn an England cap and and has since gone on to score a record 53 goals surpassing the previous record holder, Sir Bobby Charlton.
Rooney has been in the thick of it for more than a decade now and has produced some iconic moments as well as some controversial one's when he's pulled on the Three Lions shirt. 'Wazza', as he is popularly known, has often been both the hope for the country in its glory as well as a scapegoat when it faltered and failed to meet it's lofty expectations.
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We look at 10 of his highs and lows over an illustrious international career
Debut as the youngest ever England player
Rooney came into the limelight of English football with Everton as 16 year old, but it was a last minute winning goal against Arsenal which broke their 30 match unbeaten run on the day of his 17th birthday that he announced his arrival to the country.
And it wasn't long before national team manager Sven-Goran Eriksson came calling. Rooney made his senior England debut at the age of 17 years and 111 days as he came on at halftime at Boleyn Ground in a shock 3-1 defeat to Australia on 12th February 2003.
Becomes the youngest English goal scorer
Although as a team performance Rooney had a torrid debut as the three Lions lost to Australia, Rooney caught the eye of audiences and it wasn't long before he scored his first goal for England.
7 months since his debut, Rooney netted for England for the first time as he scored the crucial equalizer against Macedonia in a Euro 2004 qualifying match which the Three Lions won 2-1. The goal made Rooney the youngest ever player to score for the English national side.
Burst into the forefront as he becomes England's top scorer in Euro 2004
Euro 2004 was supposed to be the year that England went all the way and hopes were massively pinned on their young star striker in Rooney, to give them the cutting edge and he didn't disappoint. Wazza took the tournament by storm.
He first became the youngest to score at the Euro finals as he scored a brace against Switzerland in the group stages although the record was broken just four days later Swiss midfielder Johan Vonlathen.
Rooney was brimming with confidence in his first major tournament and scored four goals in four matches but a broken metatarsal in the quarter finals against Portugal ended his dreams and England eventually lost on penalties.
But he had made his mark as his performances earned him a place in the UEFA's Team of the Tournament.
Famous red card against Portugal in World Cup 2006
Rooney has always been known to be someone who plays his games on edge and he is a hotheaded customer on the pitch, which frequents in bookings every now and again.
That was a side to Wayne Rooney which got the better of him in this occasion. Rooney was on the clock in a race against time to recover from a broken foot in the weeks leading to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He did his utmost to recover in time and was deemed fit to play in the crucial quarter final clash against Portugal.
But it wasn't meant to be, just like his last encounter with Portugal at Euro 2004.Rooney was sent off after a stamp on defender Ricardo Carvalho.
The incident also brought about World Cup's most memorable clips as then teammate Cristiano Ronaldo put pressure on the referee for a decision and later winked at the bench. Rooney along with David Beckham holds the record for most England sending offs with 2 each.
Criticizes fans in front of the camera in World Cup 2010
Wayne Rooney has been criticized on multiple occasions for his temperament which is fiery and volatile at times. The World Cup in 2006 brought another forgettable moment in Wayne Rooney's international career as he publicly slated the England fans on camera as they booed the team off after a draw with Algeria in the group stages.
England performed pretty poorly and failed to make any impact in the final third of the pitch and as it usually happens with England and it's fans criticism from the fans isn't far behind. But this occasion got the better of the England striker as he was heard saying to the camera “Nice to see your home fans booing you. That’s loyal supporters.” as he walked off the pitch. Fans soon turned on their favorite striker after the incident, for which Wayne later apologized.
Returns from Suspension to score and help England qualify from Group Stages in Euro 2012
Rooney was suspended for three matches for violent conduct while playing for Manchester United and it was the national side that would suffering given their matches in the Euro 2012 fast and coming.
The initial three-match ban meant that Wayne would be missing the entire group stages. Rooney soon appealed to UEFA ,personally apologizing with a letter and after support from national manager Fabio Capello and the English FA, the ban was reduced to two matches.
This meant Rooney would be back to help his nation who were struggling in their final game against Ukraine. Rooney made the anticipated impact as he scored the winner 48 minutes from time as he propelled England to the top of the group stage with a match winning header.
Scores his first World Cup goal in Brazil 2014
Rooney has always been synonymous with goals, but surprisingly even after two World Cups his goal tally was zero at the biggest competition on earth.
He was in prolific goal-scoring form leading up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as he ended the qualification campaign as England's top scorer with 7 goals.
But even when the moment finally came, it was marred by an overall disappointment as the Three Lions were handed a big blow in qualifying from the group stages.
Rooney scored his first and only World Cup goal in a 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the group stages as he scored a 75th minute equalizer. England were eventually knocked out of the group stages which ended a poor World Cup campaign in Brazil.
Surpasses Sir Bobby Charlton's record
Rooney fittingly broke Charlton's record as he scored from the penalty spot against Switzerland in a Euro qualification match at Wembley stadium,often described as the home of football.
He registered his name as England's highest scorer with 50 goals, surpassing England great Sir Bobby Charlton.
A final International bow out but not the one he wanted
Wayne Rooney played his last major international tournament for England at the Euro 2016 - although he did play at the World Stage qualifiers afterwards, but it won't be one the former England captain would like to fondly remember and look back upon as he draws a line to his career.
England went into the Euros with plenty of promise but finished the group second behind near neighbours Wales , which earned them a relatively easy knockout draw as they faced Iceland. But it took a turn southward.
In a match where the Three Lions were supposed to cruise, they suffered their most humiliating defeat ever as Iceland knocked them out coming back from behind.
Rooney, who captained the side, opened the scoring with a penalty but their lead was short-lived as Iceland came back with two goals to win the game. It was not exactly a farewell the former captain would look like to look back on.
