There was a moment when Wayne Rooney – his forehead freckled and nose reddened from two weeks in Portugal – was reminded of something Sir Alex Ferguson had written in his autobiography, long before Paul Scholes came in with a critique every bit as scything as one of the former midfielder’s infamous tackles.
Among several unflattering references about Rooney’s fitness issues, Ferguson had pointed out that if the player missed a couple of weeks for Manchester United it could take him four or five games to get his sharpness back. Now, sitting in Vale do Lobo in his England top, Rooney shifted in his seat. Initially, he argued it was the same for most players but then it was pointed out that Ferguson had mentioned him in particular. “Well,” he replied. “I’m sure he would.” Then that familiar, slightly sheepish grin.
He has a tough skin, which is a good job, because what he did not know, as he talked of his World Cup record and explained why everything could be different this time, was that Scholes had weighed in with his own thoughts and, again, that it did not make easy reading. Rooney was fortunate, or unfortunate perhaps, because he was talking before the quotes from Scholes dropped, meaning he did not have to respond to the specific allegation that he might be “worn out”, or that he peaked two years ago, or even that he might end up retiring in his early 30s. That will have to be next time.
But there is one certainty: even if there is something in what Scholes says, no one can question Rooney’s dedication to this World Cup. Roy Hodgson has had to order him off the training ground more than once at England’s training camp in Portugal. Before then, there was a family holiday further up the coast with a couple of unusual guests. Rooney, recovering from a groin injury, had invited two of United’s fitness coaches. His daily routine: “A lot of leg weights, upper-body work, in the gym for an hour and a half, then out on the field, a lot of high-intensity running and then endurance work. It’s always tough doing it on your own but it’s something I felt I had to do. And I could play tomorrow, no problem.”
This feels very different from the player who went to Las Vegas for a week before Euro 2012. Rooney, by his own admission, had another undistinguished tournament and he is fully aware, without it being pointed out by Scholes or anyone else, that it has become a familiar story since his mesmerising performances in Euro 2004. He also knows, at 28, his chances are running out. “In 2018, it will be difficult for me to impact the way I can now. This really is the last big one.”
He is not alone, in fairness, and in the course of conversation it also crops up that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have never lit up this tournament either. In the fitness spa at England’s hotel, as the masseurs set to work on Rooney, a DVD was playing of the Brazilian Ronaldo, showing his portfolio of goals from World Cups. “Sometimes you forget how good he was,” Rooney said. “Quick, strong, a finisher, different types of goals – as an out-and-out forward, he was probably the best.”
Yet Sven-Goran Eriksson once described Rooney as the English Pelé. Too often, it has been the Pelé of 1962 and 1966, rather than 1958 and 1970. “The last few tournaments haven’t gone great for me,” he said. “I know that. I’m harsh on myself. I know when I’ve played well and when I haven’t played well. I just want to show that I can do well at this level because it’s something I haven’t been able to do before.”
Maybe, as Scholes suggests, the pressure has affected him more than he, or we, knew. “I don’t know, to be honest. When you’re going into a tournament, you believe you’re going to do well, so you don’t really feel that pressure, but maybe inside you are, and you just don’t realise.”
This is why Rooney is open to the idea of sessions with Dr Steve Peters, the Liverpool club psychiatrist who has joined Hodgson’s staff for the World Cup, on the back of a glowing recommendation from Steven Gerrard. “The manager has brought him in for us. It’s not something where you have to do it. We had a meeting with him on Tuesday night and he made it clear that he’s not here to be going around the players all the time. If we want to see him, we can, and after hearing his speech, I’ll certainly speak to him and see if it can benefit me.
“There’s no harm in that. It’s interesting. If it can give me an extra couple of per cent, it’s worth doing. So I’ll speak to him and see how it goes and if it’s worth continuing.”
One of the reasons commonly applied for Rooney’s poor performances in South Africa four years ago was that there were stories brewing about his personal life. Yet Rooney denies that “distractions” had anything to do with it. The reason is far more simple. “I felt fine. It was just that I didn’t perform well enough. Obviously there was a lot of stuff written afterwards, which during the tournament I wasn’t aware of anyway.”
This time, his head should be clear. “Maybe having the injury might also benefit me. It has been a long season, I’ve played a lot of games and having that little break might help me. We’ve still got three weeks and three friendly games before the start of the World Cup, so I’m really confident I’ll be in the best shape I can be in. I feel fresh. I feel fit. I feel ready, so there will be no excuses from me if it doesn’t go well.
“I’ve been here before and said what I feel I can deliver and then it hasn’t happened. So I think this is the one where I have to show what I can do. I believe I am in the best possible shape and the best condition I can be in. I am ready for it. I am excited for it. So no excuses. I certainly won’t be looking for excuses.”
He is excited by the young players in Hodgson’s squad, and particularly the amount of pace that might be in the team, pointing out it is “something we didn’t have before.”
Ashley Cole is a close friend and Rooney talks of him being “the best left-back in the world for 10 years – I know he’s disappointed that he’s not here but he respects the decision and I think we all have to respect what he has done for England.” Yet he mentions more than once that he likes the younger feel of the squad.
Now the baby-faced assassin of Euro 2004 is the fifth oldest outfield player in the squad. Older, wiser perhaps, but still living under greater scrutiny than any other English footballer.
“It’s different for the other players. They don’t have the same spotlight. When I speak to them, they want to find out what it’s like and I have to speak honestly and tell them it’s hard at times, especially when I was young, with photographers following me everywhere. It is difficult to cope with.”