Wayne Rooney: Winning 100th cap will be a special moment

Wayne Rooney says it will be a "special moment" when he walks out at Wembley for his 100th appearance for the Three Lions.

The England captain will be presented with a commemorate gold cap by Sir Bobby Charlton before kick-off at Saturday's European Qualifier against Slovenia. 

And the 29-year-old will be the youngest centurion, joining a select band of nine players including Billy Wright, Bobby Moore and David Beckham.

"As a young boy it was always my dream to play at Wembley," said Rooney. 

"So to go out there and receive the cap, in particular from Bobby Charlton, will be a special moment for me. 

"It will be an incredible feeling.”

The Manchester United forward hit the ground running as a teenager and made a huge impact in his first tournament, at Euro 2004 in Portugal. 

“That was one that stands out for me, because I scored four goals and was unfortunate to get injured before we went out, but that was probably the highlight,” he recalled.

Wayne Rooney smiles during training

Rooney hopes to go on to yet greater things and insists there is more to come: “Plenty more. I think I have many years ahead of me still, and I am looking forward to playing a lot more games for England. 

"If selected I will always join up with the squad and be available to play. It is something I love doing and will continue to do as long as I am selected.”

The next milestones for Rooney are Sir Bobby's scoring record of 49 goals – he is currently six behind the great man – and Peter Shilton's record 125 England caps. 

But he is not thinking about either of them yet, with his main focus on helping the Three Lions secure qualification for Euro 2016.

“They are two records that have stood for a lot of years. To be in touching distance of reaching them, which is something I hope I can do, is not something that is really in my mind at the minute," added Rooney.

“As you get closer to them, you will start to look at them, but at the end of the day if they are going to come, then they will come. 

"For me it is about playing games now, trying to do what I can to help the team get the points on the day, and if it happens, then great.”

A full interview with Wayne Rooney appears in the official England v Slovenia match programme, which is available at Wembley on Saturday, to buy online via www.TheFA.com/programmes, or download via the Apple Newsstand at www.TheFA.com/digiprog.