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Wayne Rooney is very nearly there; he is very nearly England’s all-time leading scorer. He did spurn four presentable chances against Slovenia but eventually netted the winner – his 48th in England colours – and will, before long, sit atop those charts.
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That goal drew him level with Gary Lineker in second and one more strike will place him joint-first with Bobby Charlton. Rooney took 25 games more than Lineker to reach 48 but if he scores in his next game he will have the exact same international record as Charlton (a goal every 2.2 games).There are those that consider Rooney being England’s top marksman something of an embarrassment as he is not as natural a goalscorer as Charlton or Lineker, but the fact that he has more strings to his bow should not detract from his achievements.Rooney is already England’s top scorer in competitive games, but he has played significantly more times – particularly in qualifiers – than his challengers. Nonetheless, that 34 of his 48 goals (71 per cent) have come in games of importance remains an impressive feat.
That only six of his strikes have come at major tournaments is arguably Rooney’s biggest failure in England colours. He has five in six appearances at European Championship finals but only one in 11 games at World Cup finals. Lineker managed six at Mexico 1986 alone.It is also worth noting the quality of opposition against which Rooney has scored. Facing no country has he scored more England goals than San Marino (four), while Kazakhstan (three), Andorra (two) and Belarus (two) are close behind.
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He does have four goals against Croatia, though, as well as three versus Switzerland and two against both Brazil and Denmark.It would, however, be harsh to fault Rooney for scoring against the opposition put in front of him, even if he will have played more games against international minnows than Lineker or Charlton.
What you can say is that his goals have come in all shapes and sizes: 32 have been courtesy of that trusty right boot, while 11 have been headed and five left-footed. Four have come from the penalty spot and two from direct free-kicks, while eight of his 48 have come from outside the box.
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Arguably most interesting from the stats is the table of players to assist Rooney’s goals. Steven Gerrard is predictably top, having set up four Rooney goals, but incredibly, he is joined there by Glen Johnson.It would, however, be harsh to fault Rooney for scoring against the opposition put in front of him, even if he will have played more games against international minnows than Lineker or Charlton.
What you can say is that his goals have come in all shapes and sizes: 32 have been courtesy of that trusty right boot, while 11 have been headed and five left-footed. Four have come from the penalty spot and two from direct free-kicks, while eight of his 48 have come from outside the box.
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Arguably most interesting from the stats is the table of players to assist Rooney’s goals. Steven Gerrard is predictably top, having set up four Rooney goals, but incredibly, he is joined there by Glen Johnson.It would, however, be harsh to fault Rooney for scoring against the opposition put in front of him, even if he will have played more games against international minnows than Lineker or Charlton.
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What you can say is that his goals have come in all shapes and sizes: 32 have been courtesy of that trusty right boot, while 11 have been headed and five left-footed. Four have come from the penalty spot and two from direct free-kicks, while eight of his 48 have come from outside the box.
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Arguably most interesting from the stats is the table of players to assist Rooney’s goals. Steven Gerrard is predictably top, having set up four Rooney goals, but incredibly, he is joined there by Glen Johnson.Gary Lineker led the tributes to Wayne Rooney - and then backed him to smash England’s goal record.
Rooney drew level with Lineker on 48 goals and is now just one short of Sir Bobby Charlton.
England legend Lineker said: “I'm pleased to be joined by Wayne Rooney on 48 goals. It seemed during a five-minute spell it might not happen when when struck two over the bar, but Wayne's been a consistently excellent player.
"I'm sure he will go on and surpass the great Sir Bobby Charlton. He's still only 29 and he's a formidable talent and he has a fabulous goalscoring record - especially in qualifiers.”Lineker also tweeted: “Welcome to the 48 club Wayne Rooney. And thank you for making young folk aware that I once played a bit and don't just flog crisps.”
Rooney added: “It's great to score the winner but it was a great team performance. We came out on the front foot for the second half and Jack Wilshere scored two great goals.
"I have formed a good partnership with Jack and hopefully he stays injury free for us now. We have made a lot of progress since the World Cup."Click & Close Ads
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Friday, June 19, 2015
