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.