Wayne Rooney announced his international retirement in 2017 but will make a surprise comeback on Thursday night in honour of his achievements with England.
Here, we take a chronological look at the striker’s international career:
2003: February 2 – Aged 17 years and 111 days, Rooney becomes the youngest player to represent England after making his debut in the 3-1 friendly defeat to Australia at Upton Park.
September 6 – Scores first England goal – an 18-yard half-volley against Macedonia in Skopje.
2004: June 17 – Becomes youngest player to score in European Championship history after netting England’s 3-0 win over Switzerland.
July – Named in Euro 2004 team of the tournament after scoring four goals to help England reach the quarter-finals.
2006: April 30 – Fractures metatarsal in right foot during Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat at Chelsea, putting his World Cup place in doubt.
May 8 – After sleeping in an oxygen tent to aid his recovery, Rooney is named in England’s World Cup squad by then manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
July 1 – Effectively costs England their place at the World Cup by being sent off for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho in quarter-final against Portugal. Shoves Cristiano Ronaldo after his United team-mate urges the referee to send Rooney off. The Three Lions lose 3-1 on penalties.
2007: November 9 – Misses England’s crunch match against Croatia with an ankle injury. England lose and therefore fail to qualify for Euro 2008.
2008: September 10 – Helps England get revenge on the Croatians, ending a 494-minute goal drought as Fabio Capello’s team registered a 4-1 win in Zagreb.
2009: April 1 – Wins 50th cap in home win over Ukraine.
November 14 – Captains England for the first time in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Brazil in Qatar.
2010: June 18 – Aims an angry tirade into the camera straight after a 0-0 draw versus Algeria at the World Cup in South Africa. Rooney said: “Nice to see your home fans boo you, that’s loyal supporters.” He later apologises for the outburst.
2011: October 7 – Sent off for kicking out at Miodrag Dzudovic in England’s 2-2 draw versus Montenegro. Rooney receives a three-match ban, which is reduced to two on appeal.
2012: June 19 – Scores the winning goal on his return from suspension as England beat Ukraine to qualify for the second round of Euro 2012.
June 24 – Scores in the penalty shootout versus Italy, but England crash out in the quarter-finals.
October 12 – Marks his second appearance as captain with a brace in the 5-0 win over San Marino at Wembley.
2014: June 19 – Scores his first World Cup goal against Uruguay, but Luis Suarez’s double effectively sends England out.
August 28 – Named England captain by manager Roy Hodgson.
September 3 – Marks the first match of his captaincy by scoring a penalty in a 1-0 friendly win over Norway.
November 15 – Wins his 100th cap, scoring a penalty in a 3-1 win over Slovenia at Wembley.
2015: September 5 – Equals Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 England goals by netting a penalty against San Marino.
Rooney fired in a record 53 goals for England.
September 8 – On his 107th cap, scores his 50th England goal, a penalty in a 2-0 win over Switzerland at Wembley, to become his country’s all-time record goalscorer.
2016: June 27 – Scores his 53rd England goal, opening the scoring from the penalty spot as Hodgson’s side crash out of Euro 2016 with a 2-1 defeat to Iceland.
September 4 – Wins his 116th cap, becoming England’s most-capped outfield player, in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win in Slovakia, Sam Allardyce’s first – and only – game in charge.
November 11 – Wins his 119th cap in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Scotland at Wembley.
2017: August 23 – Announces his retirement from international football.
2018: November 4 – The Football Association announces Rooney will return for a one-off friendly appearance to commemorate his achievements with the England team.
