Wayne Rooney was pilloried for his 2010 World Cup attack on England fans... four years on the Manchester 部隊d and Three Lions captain has 円熟したd into a 罰金 leader

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One balmy evening in Cape Town, in the summer of 2010, a television camera followed Wayne Rooney from a football pitch.

England had just つまずくd through a sterile draw with Algeria and their World Cup 進歩 was under 脅し. The England 信奉者s started to 抗議する at the abject 陳列する，発揮する and suddenly Rooney became aware of their jeers. 簡潔に, he paused to sneer at the camera: ‘Nice to see your own fans booing you,’ he said. ‘That’s what loyal support is.’

The 発言／述べる was caught by a pitch-味方する microphone and the その後の 激しい抗議 led the television news.

Wayne Rooney has 円熟したd into a leader as captain for Manchester 部隊d (season) and England this season

At the 2010 World Cup, Rooney (centre) was attacked for 非難するing England fans after a 0-0 draw vs Algeria

The team’s 業績／成果 had been truly inept. High in the grandstand of the Cape Town Stadium, I tried to 解任する a more abject English result. ‘1066?’ 申し込む／申し出d a helpful 隣人. But somehow, Rooney’s reaction had made a wretched 状況／情勢 far worse.

He seemed to be 示唆するing that the fans had no 権利 to criticise England’s 哀れな 陳列する，発揮する. Their 機能（する）／行事 was to applaud, to 認可する, to spend their money and to 申し込む／申し出 ‘loyal support’. Anything いっそう少なく smacked of treachery.

For the 残り／休憩（する） of their ill-starred tournament - i.e. two more matches - England players were pilloried for a whole 範囲 of perceived offences, from arrogant entitlement to lofty 無関心／冷淡 to undeserved affluence.

The cliched cry of ‘pampered prima donnas’ rang out across the land. And the kid from Croxteth, whose shoulders had carried England’s highest hopes, was no longer an idol, but a 的. In the words o f England’s 経営者／支配人 Fabio Capello: ‘At the moment, Rooney isn’t Rooney.’

Rooney (left) was one of many England players to have an uninspiring match against Algeria four years ago

After 存在 booed off by England fans, Rooney 示唆するd they had no 権利 to criticise their 業績／成果

Monday evening at Southampton, Rooney will lead out a Manchester 部隊d 味方する who 捜し出す to 課す 圧力 on Chelsea and Manchester City at the 首脳会議 of the 首相 League. Most of his 同僚s have been acquired at 抱擁する expense from around the world, yet Rooney remains the soul and the spirit of his team.

He 作品 harder, covers more ground, expends more energy and 得点する／非難する／２０s more goals than the 残り／休憩（する）. And he has embraced the 責任／義務 of captaincy; pleading, scolding, encouraging team-mates by 成果／努力 and example.

As with 部隊d, so with England. From time to time, there have been 試験的な calls for Rooney to be ‘残り／休憩（する）d’. Capello （機の）カム under 激しい 圧力 to bite the 弾丸 and so, at times, has Roy Hodgson.

Both resisted and both were 権利 to stand by their judgment. True, Rooney did not always appear to 正当化する their 約束. There were days when the ball would bounce off his 向こうずねs, when his intensity seemed 減ずるd and the play seemed to be happening around him.

Rooney has been passed fit to play against Southampton on Monday after 回復するing from a 膝 傷害

Many of us believed his physique would 結局 betray him, that his 激しい 団体／死体 would impair both endurance and acceleration, and the その後の 失望／欲求不満 would truncate his career. He has taken 楽しみ in 証明するing us wrong. In truth, Rooney will never be the player we dreamed he might become when Everton put him in their first team at 16 years old, or when England capped him a year later.

Those were the days when starry-注目する，もくろむd comparisons were made with Paul Gascoigne, another 解放する／自由な spirit and perhaps the English game’s purest talent since Tom Finney.

Gascoigne was the pitiful 犠牲者 of alcoholism and of the 冷笑的な 開発／利用 of those who should have 保護するd him. Rooney was never blessed with Gascoigne’s 直感的に genius, but his 創立／基礎s were firmer, he was fortunate in having a 経営者／支配人 like Sir Alex Ferguson to steer him through the 批判的な 行う／開催する／段階s of his career and, in Coleen, married a woman who 株 his background and 高く評価する／（相場などが）上がるs his 圧力s.

He gave a fascinating interview on the occasion of his 100th cap, when he spoke of the problem of trying to pr olong his England career into his thirties while still spending time with Coleen and his sons.

Rooney (left) has had the 負わせる of the nation's shoulders on him since he made his Everton debut at 16

‘I 現実に spoke to my wife about it,’ 解任するd Rooney. ‘I said it’s mad how all the players are retiring. When you get to a 確かな age, you almost feel like you have to do it to 延長する your club career. She was very good. She was the one who said to me, “It’s a short career, you have plenty of time to have your time off with us as a family when you finish playing. You’ll 悔いる it if you do.”

‘I thought, “Yes, I would. Football is what I love doing. Playing for my country I love, I’d 悔いる it. I don’t think I would ever walk away”.’ It was the 手段d 返答 of one who had given his 状況／情勢 some thought. And here, perhaps, we see the 必須の change in Rooney.

At 29, he has 達成するd a pleasing 手段 of 成熟. We see it both in his play and in hi s answers to questions. He gives them earnest thought, considers the 選択s and arrives at a serious 結論.

The trite, all-目的 cliches 供給（する）d by マスコミ 助言者s have been jettisoned. Instead, we sense we are listening to a man who has discovered his own mind.

Rooney (centre) 得点する／非難する／２０d twice in England 3-1 friendly 勝利，勝つ at Scotland in November at Celtic Park

He will never 完全に abandon the old instincts. No 事柄 how many more goals he may 得点する／非難する／２０ or caps he may 勝利，勝つ, he will always be just a 選び出す／独身 calamitous 取り組む away from uproar.

But Wayne Rooney has 達成するd something remarkable; he has grown up, while remaining the best kid in the playground.

Those of us who 解任する that sad evening in Cape Town will rejoice in the 変形.

The 29-year-old (centre) was also on 的 in 部隊d's 3-0 home 勝利，勝つ against 船体 in the league on November 29