England legend Wayne Rooney has revealed that he regularly used to ignore Sir Alex Ferguson's advice when going away to play for his country. He even suggested that was why he ultimately got 120 caps for the Three Lions.
The Manchester United icon had a remarkable career for both club and country, going on to become the all-time top goalscorer for the Red Devils (with 253 goals) and England (with 53 goals), although Harry Kane later overtook his international record.
Famously, though, Ferguson was always wary of his star players tiring themselves and risking injury while representing their nations during international breaks. There have even been claims that he actively played a part in Ryan Giggs regularly missing friendlies for Wales.
Rooney, however, paid no attention to Ferguson on this particular matter, playing for England as often as he could.
Rooney Loved Playing for England
rooney gerrard england
Speaking to BBC Sport, Rooney revealed how much he 'loved' playing for England, regardless of how important the occasion was. He explained that Ferguson would advise him to limit his game-time to stay in good nick for Man United, but the iconic striker ignored the request, revealing:
"You want to be in every squad. I used to love getting called up to England, whether it was a friendly, whether it was a qualifier.
"I used to love going and meeting up with the players, preparing for the games. That's probably the reason I got 120 caps, because I never used to pull out.
"I always remember Sir Alex Ferguson before we'd go in for some of the games, I'm sure he'd speak to the England manager as well. He'd be like: 'Right, you, no more than 45 minutes. Make sure you come off after 45 minutes or you only play 45 minutes.'
"So, I'd get to England and I'd be like: 'Boss, I want to play 90 minutes. I want to play the full game, don't take me off,' because I used to love playing.
"Some players were different and some players were protecting themselves with injuries as well, especially in the friendly games. But I used to love going."
Wayne Rooney for England
Games (rank)
Goals (rank)
Assists
*Assists since 1996, as records beforehand were inconsistent
Rooney Felt He Was At His Best When Playing Regularly For Club and Country
Wayne Rooney
While some players, like Giggs, accepted Ferguson's stance, Rooney not only desperately wanted to play every minute he could for the Three Lions, but he also felt it directly benefited him. The England legend explained that he was at his best when he was in the rhythm of playing regularly.
"I think he [Ferguson] knew, and to be honest, I was better when I was playing," Rooney said. "The more I played, I was better. The more rhythm I got in my game. I don't think he was too bothered.
"Like for instance, if Rio [Ferdinand] might have played on for 90 minutes, he might have been a bit annoyed with that."
It's certainly hard to argue with Rooney on this one. After all, he managed to become a true legend for both England and Manchester United, and will be remembered as among the very finest to have ever played for either team. That said, his powers as a truly elite footballer did fade once he hit his 30s, which suggests he perhaps was overplayed as a youngster.
Even so, there are very few who would turn down the incredible career Rooney had for club and country.