England and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney was just 18-years-old when he made his mark with a physical challenge on France defender Lilian Thuram at Euro 2004 in new documentary
Wayne Rooney was quick to let people know his name
If people weren’t familiar with Wayne Rooney before Euro 2004, they certainly were following the tournament opener.
Just ask Lilian Thuram, who celebrated his 54th birthday on January 1. The France centre-back was regarded as amongst the finest defenders globally when he faced England in that summer’s opening group fixture in Portugal.
However, Rooney, then 18, was featuring in his maiden major international tournament and was determined to leave his mark. One particular incident overshadowed all others and was revisited in his Amazon Prime Video documentary Rooney.
England forward Wayne Rooney (R) guides the ball past French defender Lilian Thuram, 13 June 2004 during their opening match at the European Nations football championships at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. France and England are competing in Group B with Croatia and Switzerland. AFP PHOTO FRANCK FIFE
(Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
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Rooney charged towards Thuram, leaned his frame in and delivered a touch of elbow as well. The seasoned defender tumbled to the turf. Rooney recalled: “I just banged straight into his jaw.
“I looked back at him as if to say ‘now you know who I am’. Still to this day, I see his face. I see the fear of him saying ‘what am I going to do here?'”
Rooney’s display sent ripples across the globe. Everyone recognised there was a fresh superstar on the scene.
Wayne Rooney revisited the incident in his documentary on Amazon Prime
Gary Neville was in the England squad that day and commented: “You don’t do that against France. He was doing something that for an English player, you don’t do. He was just breathtaking.
“This was a different level, something out of this world. The French were unbelievable. Zidane and Henry were two of the best players in the world, Thuram was one of the best defenders in the world and he was ripping them to shreds.
“They could not handle him. They could not handle him and he was 18 years of age.”
Despite a valiant effort, England ultimately lost the match 2-1, with France scoring twice in the final moments.
However, Thierry Henry admitted: “On the day, to be fair, they battered us. We should have lost that game easily.”
