How it feels to be an England prodigy

“He was conscionable different. You conscionable giggled astatine nan assurance he had correct from nan start.”

May 2004, Sardinia.

England’s 'golden generation' are successful Italy preparing for a European Championship successful which they are being heavy tipped, successful galore parts of nan media, to perchance present nan country’s first awesome trophy since nan World Cup successful 1966.

Six years connected from announcing himself astatine nan 1998 World Cup pinch that goal against Argentina successful Saint-Etienne, Michael Owen is gearing up to lead nan England statement successful nan opening crippled against France.

Owen and different high-profile Three Lions stars, including Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes, are being put done their paces by head Sven Goran Eriksson.

Also connected nan section is an 18-year-old Liverpudlian, Wayne Rooney.

On paper, Owen and Rooney had countless things successful common.

Six years earlier, besides 18, Owen - caller disconnected nan backmost of a breakthrough run successful which he had won nan Premier League’s aureate footwear - was successful an England squad preparing for his first awesome tournament, nan France 1998 World Cup

But, arsenic Owen recounts successful a caller BBC Sport programme Rooney 2004: World astatine his Feet, it quickly became clear that location is much than 1 measurement to play nan domiciled of prodigy.

For Owen, it was nan softly-softly approach, acutely alert of respecting nan dressing-room move and hierarchies.

Hierarchies meant thing to Rooney, however. He had much of a hellhole aliases precocious water-type approach.

“Confident, brave, fearless... All those things,” Owen remembers 20 years later.

“Wayne conscionable came successful and successful 1 of nan first training sessions we were doing a shooting believe and he chipped nan keeper.

“And arsenic overmuch arsenic it's good to do that, I deliberation astir of america were stood location thinking, 'On your first training convention to spot an knowledgeable goalkeeper!'

"That conscionable group nan shot rolling for what was to come.”

What came a fewer days later further underlined nan dual attack of England’s onslaught partners.

Thursday, 13 June marks 20 years to nan time since England’s opening Euro 2004 match. The opponents? Reigning world and European champions France.

As Owen’s training-ground communicative illuminates, Rooney embodied nan ignorance and naivety of youth.

It was an ignorance mirrored successful nan French camp, specifically successful nan style of right-back Lilian Thuram.

“I uncertainty really overmuch Rooney tin springiness to nan England team,” Thuram said. “He is very young - excessively young for specified a difficult title for illustration this.

“The Everton subordinate is bully but he is nary Pele. Rooney is not Michael Owen - he was a acold amended subordinate connected his debut for nan English team.”

Thuram’s deficiency of investigation was to beryllium quickly recovered out.

Rooney gave an all-action, no-holds barred capacity that included nutmegging Zinedine Zidane, winning a punishment and, successful his ain words, “smashing” Thuram pinch an elbow.

“I conscionable couldn't hold for nan game,” Rooney remembers 20 years later. “I nutmegged Zidane and I retrieve texting my mate aft nan game, saying 'I conscionable megged Zizou'.

“I retrieve him (Thuram) doing an question and reply saying he didn’t cognize who I was and that stuck pinch maine and I retrieve thinking, 'Right, OK… Wait for this game, because if I get a chance, I'm going to smash you'.

“Around that time, I felt invincible for illustration erstwhile you are connected a consequence machine, you get nan invincible level and conscionable support going, you can't die. That's what I felt for illustration astatine that time.”

Owen, people much quiet and reserved, whitethorn not subordinate to Rooney’s penchant for a training-ground spot but he tin recognise those feelings of invincibility.

“I tin subordinate to his mindset,” Owen tells BBC Sport.

“When I was 18, I thought I could norm nan world. I played successful nan World Cup, played against Argentina, wouldn't person had a hint astir nan opposition, couldn't sanction that team.

“I didn't want to watch immoderate videos (of nan opposition). Just springiness maine nan shot and I'll beryllium fine.

“You conscionable deliberation that you're nan champion subordinate arsenic soon arsenic you transverse complete nan line. You’ve ne'er had immoderate doubts aliases setbacks successful your life.

“You get into nan England squad and you find that easy arsenic well. And it conscionable feels truthful normal.

"At Euro 2004, Wayne and I utilized to person nan overseas chat - I could conscionable spot myself successful him, successful position of what I had done not truthful agelong agone successful France.”

In 1998, Owen group nan precedent for Rooney, scoring against Romania successful nan group shape earlier a tourney and possibly career-defining onslaught against Argentina successful nan information of 16.

Rooney was arguably moreover amended successful nan group stages of 2004. Hard disconnected nan backmost of his all-action show against France, he went connected to people doubly successful England’s 2nd and 3rd group games against Switzerland and Croatia.

His 2nd extremity against Croatia saw him springiness goalkeeper Tomislav Butina nan eyes to nonstop him nan incorrect measurement and calmly slot nan shot home. Re-watching this onslaught successful Wayne Rooney: World astatine his Feet, it appears to beryllium a decorativeness beyond his years.

Not to Owen.

“There's footballers and past there's footballers,” he said. “There's footballers that that tin do a occupation and they'll get by.

“But past location are group that conscionable look and you conscionable deliberation 'wow'. You cognize they conscionable get it. Everything astir them.

"Wayne’s finishing was incredible, to springiness personification nan eyes. These things are conscionable ingrained successful you. You tin either do it aliases you can't.”

Owen 1998 and Rooney 2004 is simply a shared acquisition connected 2 counts: that of a career-defining breakthrough infinitesimal and also, arguably, nan zenith of their full world careers.

They besides knowledgeable English shot fever – appearing regular connected nan beforehand and backmost pages of nan newspapers.

The prodigal sons besides yet knowledgeable an all-too-familiar and painfully akin emotion: heartbreaking conclusion successful nan knockouts - connected penalties.

Owen scored that extremity and near nan section pinch his caput held precocious aft conclusion by Argentina successful nan past 16, while Rooney hobbled disconnected midway done nan first half of England’s quarter-final conclusion against Portugal pinch a surgery foot.

But ultimately, their acquisition was nan same.

Twenty years later, Owen circa 1998 remembers relating to nan rampant Rooney of 2004 successful each imaginable way.

Well, almost each way. The prodigy-cum-protege individual move was a small skew-whiff - surely wherever Owen was concerned.

“I almost felt successful nan first fewer games that this is nan incorrect measurement around,” Owen said.

“I was reasoning 'you're expected to beryllium mounting maine up, you're nan large imaginative subordinate and I'm nan extremity scorer' and it really went nan different way.”