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Wayne Rooney believes it’s time for England to once again be winners.

The Three Lions captain remembers the excitement that gripped the nation during Euro 96 when he was a 10-year-old schoolboy growing up in Liverpool.

But the bottom line is that Gazza and Co were glorious LOSERS. And Rooney’s aim for Euro 2016 is to end the 50 years of hurt.

“I was talking about Euro 96 the other day and I mentioned what it would be like if we produced a team that actually won a tournament,” said Rooney.

“It’s as if they won the tournament, the way they’re remembered, so imagine if we could go one better and win it? We’d be remembered forever. It’s a challenge for us, of course, and hopefully we can do it.

(Image: Bongarts/Getty)

“It’s 50 years since we won the World Cup and for English football that’s far too long. Hopefully in the near future that will change.

“I don’t think we have shown the world how good we are, especially given some of the teams we’ve produced.

“We know we’ve got a good squad of players again – but we have to perform. We can’t expect to go to the Euros and think it’s all going to be given to us. We have to find ways to win games and we’ll have to do our best to do that.”

England haven’t reached the semi-final of a major tournament since they hosted the Euros 20 years ago.

A teenage Rooney burst on to the international stage in Portugal in 2004, but suffered a broken metatarsal as Sven Goran Eriksson’s team went out on penalties to the hosts in the last eight.

(Image: Getty)

Rooney said: “I was a bit too young to remember Euro 96, but I do recall standing outside Anfield before games just to soak up the atmosphere.

“I also remember Paul Gascoigne’s goal against Scotland. It was an iconic moment for English football and, of course, I got to meet Gazza when he played for Everton.

“He was always great with me, always lively. I was just on the brink of the first team, so I only trained with him a few times but he was a special player. As for the England teams I’ve played in, this one has definitely got the potential to be the best.

“The future is bright, but hopefully we can get off to a spectacular start this summer. The lads are buzzing and we can’t wait for the game against Russia.”

In pictures: England 1-0 Portugal

And Rooney urged England to toughen up as they embark on the challenge of giving the nation something to be proud of in France.

Rooney said: “In the past we’ve always been an honest team and country – and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

“I’m not saying anything bad about foreign players but they do certain things naturally, like staying on the ground and giving the referee a decision to make.

“Or they might stop you from taking a quick free-kick. It is the small things that can make a big difference. We have to be more streetwise. That normally comes with experience. If we were relying on it to win the tournament then we would be struggling, but these games can be decided my small margins.”