For the 2004 European Championships, England came top of their qualification group, with the teenage striker Wayne Rooney installed as a new star in their attack. His emergence was tempered by the loss of defender Rio Ferdinand, who was given an eight-month ban in December 2003 after missing a drugs test, ruling him out of the finals.
For the 2004 European Championships, England secured first place in their qualifying group, thanks to the rise of teenage forward Wayne Rooney as a star player. However, this was overshadowed by Rio Ferdinand's eight-month ban, which began in December 2003 after he failed a drugs test and missed the finals.