The treatment of Harry Maguire when his name was read out at Wembley was stomach-churning.
I remember being subjected to boos from England supporters through no fault of my own.
The boos that greeted me when coming on for Shaun Wright-Phillips against Poland in a World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford in October 2005 will stay with me for ever.
I was a Liverpool player, so I knew there was an element of that, but there was also this stigma attached to me. Is he an England player? People openly said I wasn't good enough.
We had Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Jermain Defoe. I didn't fit what an England striker was supposed to look like. That was the dynamic in the newspapers and on TV.
I always remember Jamie Redknapp coming out to defend me, saying I was more than good enough for that level. Guys who played alongside me knew.
Whether I fitted the mould of an international footballer was an underlying thing and that, rather than the Liverpool aspect, drove the derision at Old Trafford. Fans who didn't really know me - and dare I say maybe not overly knowledgeable about the game - were giving me grief. Even on the street.
My parents were in the crowd that day, my sister too.
What should be one of the proudest days of your life is completely marred.
We can all say that players get paid loads and it comes with the job. I don't care what people say: it hurts, badly. You can't block it out, because you even feel the crowd after a misplaced pass. You can say it doesn't affect you - but I can tell you now that it does. How can it not? It is heart-wrenching.
I'd proven I was good enough to be there though - fortunately I then scored in almost every England game! I had to overperform throughout my career to be accepted.
I remember the jeers for Ashley Cole - England's most consistent performer while I played for my country - after off-field incidents. And Frank Lampard got it at Wembley.
If they can get booed, anybody can. It turned the players against the fans a bit.
In my case, I'd only just signed for Liverpool from Southampton and wasn't scoring goals. I was in that phase of struggling, similar to Maguire.
He's having a difficult time at club level, you can't deny that, but he's not put a foot wrong for England. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but booing somebody representing the country - before the game - leaves a sour taste.
