It's funny how things can work out in football. Wayne Rooney burst onto the scene with Everton as a teenage wonderkid and lived up to immediate and long-term expectations, going on to become one of England's finest ever footballers.
For many, though, hype emerges too early and brings on pressure, which only serves as a deterrent for their talent. Another exciting Goodison Park youngster from the same era as Rooney was Francis Jeffers. His career went off in a completely different direction, though.
In 2003, Rooney made his Three Lions debut as a 17-year-old vs Australia at Upton Park. England lost 3-1, and the future captain failed to get on the scoresheet.
However, Jeffers also made his international debut that day, scoring the only goal of the game. That would be his only appearance for England, and his career would quickly head on a downward slide, never to recover.
Even so, when speaking 11 years later in 2014, just days before earning his 100th cap, Rooney would call Jeffers an inspiration.
Rooney Spoke of Jeffers' Influence on Him as a Youngster
Fellow striker went to same school
Talking at Our Lady and St Swithin's Catholic Primary School in Croxteth, Rooney told the Daily Mail (via the Mirror): "All the young kids here have dreams. All the young lads grow up wanting to be footballers. They love the sport.
"I was the same when I was here. I just wanted to be a professional footballer and I have managed to do that. So to captain my country and be closing in on 100 caps is special.
"For the kids to see someone who has been to this school and gone on to achieve what I have done, shows they can achieve their dreams.
"I know what it is like. Franny Jeffers went to my senior school (De La Salle) and he inspired me. It would be great to think that it would be the same for these."
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Jeffers Struggled After Big-Money Arsenal Move
"I was out partying, living life..."
Jeffers was clearly a massive talent when he first emerged on the scene at Everton. He'd score 20 senior goals for the Toffees before being snapped up by Arsenal for around £10m. In North London, however, he'd struggle and a nomadic career in England would follow, with the player ultimately remembered as a footballing disappointment.
Speaking about how he squandered his talent, Jeffers explained that he'd been given every chance under Arsene Wenger but simply let him down. He said:
"I was out partying, living life, tossing it off in training because I always thought I wouldn’t play Saturday anyway. Now, I look back with a lot of regrets. That is where I should have been putting it in more. Wenger gave me a fair crack of the whip. I haven’t got a bad word to say about him. He tells you how it is, one of the only managers I played for who did."
He added: “He said there were things going on in my head that shouldn’t have been and that it was an important time in my career. I am not saying I threw it all away, because I had a decent career. I fulfilled a lot of ambitions, but I always say it, I know how much ability I had. I’m not soft. I know how good a player I was. One England cap wasn’t enough.”
While Rooney would have the mentality to go with the talent, becoming a true icon of the sport, it seems as though Jeffers didn't quite have all the ingredients needed to reach the top and stay there. The story of each man only serves as a reminder of just how hard it is to make it in football.