Wayne Rooney Breaks Bobby Charlton's All-Time England Goalscoring Record

Wayne Rooney broke Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time goalscoring record for England on Tuesday, netting his 50th goal for his country against Switzerland:    

The Manchester United star scored his first goal for the Three Lions back in 2003 against Macedonia and has led the team's attack ever since. While his scoring record in major tournaments has never been particularly impressive―he only scored his first World Cup goal in 2014―he has done tremendous damage during qualifiers, culminating in the new record.

"It's right up there, if not the best [achievement]," Rooney said afterward, via Eliot Rothwell of Goal.com. "Being the country's all-time leading goalscorer before the age of 30 is something I could never have dreamt of, and I'm just extremely proud of tonight."

FATV provided Rooney's speech after the match:

Rooney has mainly played for the squad as a striker, although he has also seen time in midfield, similar to his evolution with United. Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who brought Rooney to Old Trafford in 2004, told ITV Sport (h/t Goal's Harry Sherlock) he never thought the 29-year-old would actually break the record, given his playing style:

"

I would never have thought that, we didn’t recognise him as an out and out goalscorer, the evidence wasn’t there – he looked an outstanding footballer and that was the main reason we wanted him.

… I’ve always loved the aggressive nature of Rooney, driving at defenders and whizzing by them. Plus he’s a goalscorer, that’s his greatest asset, he’s now proven he is one.

A few of them have tried to break the record, Lineker, Owen, Greaves. It’s difficult to say what’s the biggest achievement but great players can play in any era, no doubt about that.

"

Squawka News provided Charlton's comments on Rooney's achievement: 

Chelsea captain John Terry also passed along his congratulations:

The Sports Bible provided a photo of Roy Hodgson presenting Rooney with his No. 50 shirt:

Despite all of his individual success, major silverware has eluded Rooney on the international level, and because of it, fans will likely remember Charlton more fondly. The Red Devils legend led England to their only World Cup win in 1966, a 4-2 victory against West Germany in the final.

But Rooney's accomplishment shouldn't be overlooked or discredited because most of his goals came outside of major tournaments. As shared by sportingintelligence, the group of players who have actually managed to net 50 for their country is small:

Iran's Ali Daei leads the list, but most of the players inside the top 10 played for smaller football nations who play most of their matches against lesser competition.

Catching legends such as Ferenc Puskas, Pele and Miroslav Klose will not be easy, but Rooney has time on his side. Just 29 years old, the England skipper figures to play for the Three Lions for several more years, so he'll have the chance to add plenty more goals to his tally.