30 March 2005    
Exclusive: Wayne Rooney interview

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Wayne Rooney is back in action on Wednesday night following an awesome display against Northern Ireland at the weekend and he believes that, even if he doesn't score against Azerbaijan himself, his international strike partner Michael Owen will.

Rooney once again showed why he is a man opponents fear with his heady blend of confidence, power and skill. At one point, when cornered by two Irish defenders, the 19-year-old made them look like statues before firing across the face of goal, where Chris Baird sent into his own net.

”I saw the opportunity to beat the man and I just went for it,” Rooney tells TheFA.com’s Dan Freedman in an extended interview ahead of the World Cup qualifier at St James' Park.

”He caught me and I could have gone down,” he reveals, “but I wanted to stay on my feet because I knew I would have the chance to score myself or set someone else up.

”I am a footballer who is confident in myself and my ability on the pitch. From the first moment the manager picked me for England I have always thought that I am worthy of playing on this stage.”

Surely not even Rooney, though, would have thought, as a young boy growing up in Liverpool, that he would one day play for his country.

When watching the TV from his grandmother’s house, a 12-year-old Rooney saw Michael Owen introduce himself to the world with his superb individual goal against Argentina at France 98. Five years later, they’d line-up for England together.

”The way he took the ball was amazing and he was so composed when he got in front of the goal,” recalls Rooney.

“Michael is a great player and a great goal scorer. I can learn a lot from him and I will do that. He likes to play on the shoulder and I like to drop off so we complement each other well.

”We have already scored quite a few goals together and hopefully that will continue. I do feel that in a game one of the two of us is always likely to get on the score sheet.”

With a game against Azerbaijan, who shipped eight against Poland on Saturday, next up for the pair, many are suggesting that more goals are coming their way, but the Manchester United man is being more cautious.

”We were all a bit shocked to be honest when we heard that,” he says, “there are not many scorelines like that in international football these days.

”A bit of us was disappointed that it wasn’t us that got the result but we are also hoping that it might have taken quite a lot out of Azerbaijan.

He adds: “People will look at it and say that they have scored eight so they will be expecting us to do the same but as long as we come away with the three points that’s all that we are concerned with.

”We are expected to go and get three points. I think we have got the team now to go and do it, and as a striker myself I look at it as a chance to score a few goals but really in team you don’t care who scores the goals as long as you get the result.”

Click on the links at the top of the page to watch or listen to much more from England's young star in the full interview.