Wayne Rooney’s latest moment of madness may have plunged Fabio Capello’s Euro 2012 plans into turmoil – but one of his closest allies in football has sought to quash his hot-headed reputation.

The England striker will miss the entire group stage of next summer’s finals after his wild kick out at Montenegro defender Miodrag Dzudovic last month.

UEFA threw the book at the 26-year-old, dishing out a three-match ban that means England could be eliminated from the Euros by the time he is eligible to play in another competitive match for his country.

It is the latest blow up from Rooney, who missed last season’s FA Cup semi-final for United after a foul-mouthed tirade in front of the television cameras.

He was also sent off for England at the 2006 World Cup for standing on Portugal defender, Ricardo Carvalho.

It is a catalogue of incidents that has consistently raised concerns about his temperament.

But a man who watched him emerge from a promising teenager to a world star insists Rooney is one of the coolest characters in football.

Mick Rathbone was the head physio at Everton when Rooney burst onto the world stage in such dramatic circumstances in 2002.

He watched as the 16-year-old handled intense media scrutiny and the burden of being labelled English football’s greatest talent since Paul Gascoigne.

And far from the out-of-control character that he sometimes appears to be on the pitch, Rathbone insists Rooney’s composure is awe-inspiring.

“Maybe people don’t want to hear about this side to him – but Wayne is a really nice guy, respectful, great to work with, polite and punctual,” he said. “He is a calm and relaxed person.

“When the whistle blows, his competitiveness comes through. He wears his heart on his sleeve and that passion is the secret of his success. He loves to win.”

In his autobiography, ‘The Smell of Football,’ an account of his 35 years as a player, manager and physio, Rathbone recounts the first occasion when witnessed Rooney’s “unflappable temperament.”

“I remember about 30 minutes before his first Merseyside derby at Goodison, which was live on Sky Sports, he came in to the medical room and started juggling the ball and generally larking about. He was laughing and clowning around,” he writes. “I couldn’t believe how relaxed he was.

“I was fascinated to get an insight into how he really felt, remembering all those fears that wracked my body when I was 17.

“I said to Wayne – just 17 minutes before his first Merseyside derby, live on TV: ‘Please tell me you are nervous...’

“He said: ‘I am no more nervous that if this was a reserve game. I can’t wait for kick off.’

“What sets these once-in-a-generation players apart from the rest?” Rathbone adds. “Obviously, much of it is natural ability and athleticism, but lots of players are talented and athletic.

“With Wayne it was those things and – contrary to what many people may think – the most incredible, unflappable temperament.”

Frenzy

In those early days Rathbone also saw the media frenzy that surrounded Rooney – particularly after he returned from Euro 2004 with a broken metatarsal.

“As part of the recovery process, Wayne had to have an X-ray every couple of weeks which we would then take to show the consultant in Manchester,” he recounts.

“There was a huge degree of media interest as everyone waited with bated breath for the latest progress report on the game’s newest sensation.

“On our very first visit, we had just pulled on to the M62 when Wayne said: ‘We are being followed.’

“‘Rubbish.’

“No, really we are. That Chrysler Voyager behind is following us.

“Wayne, you are watching too much TV,” I said.

After a couple of detours, Rathbone realised they were being followed – just as they were on another occasion at training.

“We had just started jogging when Wayne stopped running,” he continues. “I thought he must have had a pain in his foot.

“‘I’ve got my old Puma club trainers on, but I’ve just signed a deal with Nike,’ he said. ‘They will go mad.’”

Rooney was convinced he was being pictured by a photographer hiding in a tree.

“‘He is up there all right,’ he said. ‘You can’t see him, but he is there.’

“Talk about paranoia,” Rathbone adds. “However to my total disbelief, when I looked at the back page the next morning, I nearly choked on my cornflakes. There it was, just as he had predicted, a big photograph of me and Wayne jogging with an arrow pointing to his trainers and the caption: ‘Who’s been a naughty boy then?”

Rooney has gone on to become a star for both United and England – and Rathbone admits he has exceeded even his expectations.

Which is why he finds it unfathomable that Capello should even consider leaving him out of his Euro 2012 squad.

“It was a privilege to work with him,” he said. “I will always remember that first season when he’d just started playing. The impact he made sticks in your mind. Every time he got the ball the stadium would almost go silent in anticipation.

“He’s even better than I thought. Now that he drops deeper, the whole team revolves around him. He’s almost a playmaker too.

“He will be devastated about the ban. But he understands what it’s about. It’s football and if you get a red card you get punished.

“Even still, surely he will got to the Euros.

“England will expect to get through the group stage – and when they do, they will need players like him.”

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The Smell of Football, published by Vision Sports is available now for £12.99