It’s a record Sir Bobby Charlton has held for nearly 44 years and one Wayne Rooney has been chasing since the season began. Finally, after his spectacular goal from a free-kick against Stoke City today, Manchester United’s number 10 can say he is Old Trafford’s all-time top scorer with 250 goals.
Rooney and United fans have been on countdown since he over took United legend Dennis Law in The Red Devil’s top goal scorer list. Since equalling Charlton’s record with his 249th goal against Reading in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, the anticipation has grown as to when the golden moment would come for Rooney, who has been under pressure and condemned by the media and experts of the game in recent months. Record breaking Rooney can now revel in the fact that he has surpassed another club icon, the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton, and surely now, if not before, must be given the title as one of the greatest players for Manchester United and England.
In October 2016 Rooney broke Charlton’s all-time England goal scoring record when he netted his 53rd goal for the national side. With the England record achieved, Rooney set his sights on ‘doing the double’ – becoming top scorer for club as well as country. Having been branded as ‘finished’ as a great goal scorer by some, and a move away from Old Trafford mooted by the media, Wayne Rooney has quashed such statements and now has his name at the top of the striking list for The Red Devils as well as The Three Lions. It’s incredible to think this ordinary lad from Croxteth in Liverpool now has such prestigious and well-earned titles to his name.
It’s hard to believe it’s over 12 years ago that Rooney scored a Champion’s League hat-trick on his Manchester United debut after his £26.5million move from Everton to Old Trafford. Still a teenager then, no one could have predicted Rooney would go onto become a legend for club as well as country and score over 300 goals for both.
Having made 543 appearances for Manchester United and the magic 250 goals reached, it will be fascinating to see how many more times the incredible record-breaking Rooney can find the back of the net. At the age of only 31, he surely has a lot more time in the game to add to his tallies as well as the trophies he has won with his club, at present he has won 14 honours.
Sir Bobby Charlton and Wayne Rooney are two England and United legends in their own right and record breaking footballers, but who will be next? Marcus Rashford certainly has the ability and time to achieve such great honours and top the goal scoring charts. With already 14 goals for Manchester United at the age of 19, and having also netted for England on his debut, Rashford may be the man to one day overhaul the records set by two greats of the game.
Being the gentleman that Sir Bobby Charlton is, he will most certainly be incredibly proud to see Rooney overtake him in the Manchester United all-time goal scoring list, as will United’s number 10 be just as honoured to have surpassed such a prestigious record set by an exceptional player. Rooney’s Remarkable Record will go down in football history – 250 goals and counting, congratulations Wayne.
