Missed Opportunity: Wayne Rooney reflects on how his career could have changed if Ireland had called him up to the first team at 16

His outstanding performance against France in that tournament is regarded as the 34th greatest individual performance of all time by FourFourTwo. It not only filled England fans with hope for the future but also showcased his exceptional talent on the world stage.

However it all could have been so different for Wayne Rooney, who has revealed that he was eligible to turn out for the Republic of Ireland.

Wayne Rooney pledged allegiance to England after being snubbed a spot in Ireland's first team

Rooney was eligible to play for Ireland, and at just 16-years-old his international allegiance was questioned.

A call-up for the under-21's team came but was turned down by the teenager and he went on to play for England just months later.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Rooney said: "I spoke to Lee Carsley, and he spoke to Mick [McCarthy] and I was close to doing it and then, they called me up for Ireland U21s.

"I was like, ‘I’m not playing for Ireland U21s’. It obviously never happened, and I went to play for England. I would have probably went [and played for Ireland if they put me in the first team].”

Get FourFourTwo Newsletter

The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Rooney, who is ranked at no.50 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time, is England's second highest scorer of all-time with 53 goals in 120 games. He represented his country at six major tournaments but never made it past the quarter-finals.

One of most memorable match for England is probably for the wrong reasons, after he saw red against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup following an altercation with Ricardo Carvalho and then teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Following his dismissal, Ronaldo winked at the Portugal bench which Rooney responded to in a statement saying: "I bear no ill feeling to Cristiano but I'm disappointed that he chose to get involved. I suppose I do, though, have to remember that on that particular occasion we were not teammates."