Furthermore, the FA revealed they are planning to host two showpiece Wembley friendly internationals in November provided England avoid the World Cup qualifier play-offs.
Former Arsenal star Podolski waved an emotional goodbye to international football after scoring the winning goal in Germany’s 1-0 win in Dortmund on Wednesday and was applauded off the pitch to the theme tune from Gladiator.
“I hope Rooney gets a night like this because he is one of the greatest in England,” Podolski urged. “I don’t know if it’s traditional in England to give someone a farewell game, but when I am England boss or the president I will say, ‘Wayne, next week you’ve got a game’.”
An encouraging high-energy performance from Gareth Southgate’s new-look side suggested there may be no room for Rooney in future, despite his insistence that he wants to add to his 119 caps by fighting for a place in the 2018 World Cup squad for Russia.
The likelihood of that happening will become clearer over the next six internationals, two in the summer and four at the start of next season.
Certainly, Southgate did not rule out a similar-style finale for England’s greatest goalscorer, despite the fact it would be unprecedented in English football, avoiding the issue by joking that a direct question about such a match had come after time had been called on an informal briefing following the game in Dortmund.
The England manager had, however, been willing to talk about such occasions in more general terms.
“People recognise those who have made 100 caps, we have always given presentations for that, and people acknowledge the contribution they’ve made,” Southgate said. “What we haven’t done, which maybe some other countries do, is evenings like tonight.
“I played in a game in Portugal where Luis Figo had a similar thing and it was a great tribute for Podolski tonight.
“You can’t always predict when the end is coming for people but we are trying to acknowledge and recognise our past more. Years ago we weren’t even invited back to matches.
“We asked Glenn to present Michael Keane with his shirt before the game because we want that connection with the past, and for the player to feel that and also recognise that the past is important for us as well, it is something we will strive to do.”
