Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne may be rough diamonds but England need more gems like them Gascoigne's problems have been many, apparently stretching back to a feeling of remorse when a younger boy in his care ran out in front of a car and was killed. Aged 10, Gascoigne was a reluctant visitor to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, being checked over by a psychiatrist for twitches. At the same age, Rooney's school reports were all along the lines of "nice lad, no trouble, doesn't always concentrate, mad about football but a popular member of the class." Rooney's occasional evening out, past domestic issues, and propensity for the odd cigarette seems a scene from The Sound Of Music in comparison to the Straw Dogs of Gascoigne's chaotic life. For all the media interest, Rooney has stayed remarkably sane. His night out was spent with his wife, two team-mates and their partners. Hardly the Rat Pack. Even efforts to compare the pair's quirks runs to Rooney admitting that he has left on the vacuum-cleaner, television or hairdryer to soothe him to sleep. Hardly Gazza's 15 Red Bulls a day. As a kid, Rooney's chief superstition involved closing doors when sitting in the front room or jumping on a wall if a bus went past to avoid bad luck. Rooney gets bored between games, as seen during tournaments, but not like Gascoigne wandering hotel corridors during Italia "90, searching another insomniac or passing waiter to play squash with. Gascoigne, all warm heart and personality flaws, has always exuded this insecurity, a desire to be loved. Rooney never gives the impression of somebody craving adoration to fill some character defect. Gascoigne reveals far more emotional hinterland than Rooney, including some very dark places while other parts of his personal landscape disclose an unexpected thoughtful side. He's not always daft as a brush. One of the most enlightening interviews given by a player on England duty over the past 20 years actually came from Gascoigne, talking at Bisham Abbey before Euro "96 and examining what was wrong with football. He spoke so intelligently, passionately and eloquently about the shortcomings in schoolboy football, in the obsession with the physical over the technical, that somebody inquired, only half in jest, whether he fancied applying for the vacant Football Association technical director's job. Rooney has rarely offered many opinions that hint at future employment restructuring the game. Contrasts persist on the pitch where Rooney eclipses Gascoigne, certainly at club level. In any contest of "medals on the table"," Rooney comfortably wins with his one Champions League, four Premier League titles and two League Cups to Gascoigne's one FA Cup (where he ended up in hospital), two Scottish titles, one Scottish Cup and one Scottish League Cup. Yet even with a respectful nod to his displays at Euro 2004, Rooney has never lit up a tournament as Gascoigne did Italia "90 where he was memorably described as "a dog of war with the face of a child" by the Juventus president Gianni Agnelli. Throw in the "Feet of a Deity" and the "Tears of a Clown" and that was Gascoigne's World Cup. Memories of Gascoigne's goal against Scotland at Euro "96 still remain. Rooney needs those iconic international moments. It reflects his stop-start, on-off impact on tournaments that he starts Euro 2012 two games late for disciplinary reasons. Rooney talks of his maturing, particularly now that fatherhood occupies him, and at 26 he is coming into his prime, the athleticism of youth mixing with the experience of a decade in the game. Some incidents still let him down. It was hard to recall Gascoigne attempting to get an opponent sent off as Rooney did with City's Vincent Kompany. For all the contrasts, a unifying footballing ethos should be cherished. Everton manager David Moyes described the teenaged Rooney as "one of the last street footballers, part of a dying breed." Gascoigne was the same, a technical talent with limitless imagination. On Monday, the FA continued promoting their proposals to revolutionise schoolboy football with nine versus nine at under-11 and under-12 level. England need to produce more gems like Gascoigne and Rooney. How thay compare at 26 Wayne Rooney Clubs: Everton, Manchester United Age on debut: 16 League appearances: 301 League goals: 130 England caps: 32. Goals 28 Honours 1 Fifa World Club Cup, 1 Champions League title, 4 League titles, 2 League Cups. BBC Young Sports Personality Of The Year (2002), PFA Young Player Of The Year (2005), PFA Players" Player Of The Year (2010) Injuries Hit three times by the curse of the metatarsal in 2004, 2006 and 2007 and more recently sprained ankles Bad boy Dogged by tabloid tales of infidelity. England's most red-carded player (twice) Worst TV moment Rounding on jeering England fans at 2010 World Cup: "Nice to see your home fans boo you, that's loyal supporters" Paul Gascoigne Clubs: (Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio) Age on debut: 17 League appearances: 210 League goals: 44 England caps: 28. Goals 6 Honours 1 FA Cup. PFA Young Player Of The Year (1988). BBC Sports Personality Of The Year (1990) Injuries Ruptured cruciate ligaments in 1991 FA Cup final for Tottenham and suffered a further knee injury at a Tyneside nightclub and missed the whole of the 1991-92 season. His short period with Lazio was also plagued with injury Bad boy Trouble was mostly drink-related at this stage Worst TV moment Asked by TV interviewer if he had message for people of Norway, he said "---- off Norway."