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England vs San Marino: Rooney honoured by captaincy

1,479 views · Published 12 October 2012 · 2:03 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: GOAL · 2012 · Sports

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Wayne Rooney will captain England when they take on San Marino in Friday's World Cup qualifier at Wembley. The Manchester United forward takes the armband off Steven Gerrard, who is suspended for the clash with the side ranked joint worst in the world. Rooney may only be a stand-in, but the 26-year-old is confident he can play a leading role.

SOUNDBITE (German)
WAYNE ROONEY
Captain, England
"It's a great honour. It's something I'm really proud of and it's a big challenge for myself. It's something I'm looking forward to, I'm excited and hopefully we'll cap the day off with a good victory."

First there was Ashley Cole, and then there was Ryan Bertrand. The FA have announced they will draw up a code of conduct for England players in light of recent outbursts on Twitter. And with his new responsibility as captain, Rooney knows there's no better time to lead by example.

SOUNDBITE (German)
WAYNE ROONEY
Captain, England
"As a player we know we've got responsibilities, on social network sites or in general life. We have to try and live up to those expectations as best we can. I think this week there have been isolated occasions but we're well aware of how we need to conduct ourselves and we'll all do that well.

Only a late penalty from Frank Lampard allowed England to claim a draw at home to Ukraine in September. And playing in front of a sell-out Wembley crowd on Friday, the focus must be on correcting that blip at the first opportunity.

SOUNDBITE (German)
WAYNE ROONEY
Captain, England
"I think we have to focus on ourselves. We have to make sure we play the football we've been trying to do. We've been working hard all week, the manager's been trying to get points across to us all, what he wants of us, what he expects of us. We have to make sure we do that as best we can and try and put the training sessions into the game."

England are clear favourites to make it two wins from three when they take on 207-ranked San Marino. But qualification hopefuls Poland await in their next game, Roy Hodgson leads his troops to Warsaw on Tuesday.

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