Whether it was the prospect of wearing a jersey instead of a suit, or chasing down Jimmy Greaves in the all-time England scoring ledger, or simply filling his boots against San Marino, Wayne Rooney could not have been in better mood ahead of tonight's European qualifier at Wembley.
There was even an endorsement of his old Manchester United captain's autobiography that sets out in vivid detail the catalogue of disputes and conflicts that defined his career.
"We were very close. He was a nice genuine honest guy," Rooney said. "I can't comment on the book but I thought he was a good leader and a good captain. He was good to me.
"The thing that surprised me was his passing. He's the best I've played with at getting the ball into the forwards. He was demanding on the pitch but off the pitch he was a nice guy."
The irony of coupling a defence of Keane with the honour of topping Greaves while sitting out a domestic ban for violence was lost on the England captain, though he did express his disappointment at the mistake he made in hacking down Stewart Downing.
Though he does not consult the abacus before each international fixture he is aware of the numbers - he is only three behind Greaves (44), and has the opportunity to dethrone even Sir Bobby Charlton (49) and smash the England scoring records in this qualifying cycle.
Greaves and Charlton are to Rooney distant figures appropriated through videos half a century old. For the wizardry of Greaves in the box and the athletic beauty of Charlton in full stride, Rooney relies on the testimony of the England manager, whose eyes glazed when invited to describe Greaves to an unsuspecting audience.
"I've seen clips of Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Charlton," Rooney said. "It's there for me to overtake them all. There's no denying it," he said. "Jimmy Greaves is there and if I can overtake him that would be great.
"I never dreamt I would be England's leading goalscorer. It will be massive for me, a huge honour. My family will be proud. Hopefully I will be sat here one day as the leading scorer, but right now the game is the most important thing."
Rooney's relaxed demeanour was in keeping with the demand of an international fixture against a team containing only two professionals. He said: "We know they are not at the level we are. It is important to put in a good performance. If we do that I'm sure we will win comfortably."
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