Wayne Rooney Praises Roy Hodgson After Becoming England's Record Goalscorer

England’s new all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney has singled out manager Roy Hodgson for special praise in the wake of his incredible achievement.

The Manchester United skipper slotted his 50th goal in international football during the Three Lions’ 2-0 win over Switzerland at Wembley on Tuesday evening. Afterwards, he credited the extra freedom Hodgson afforded him as one of the key catalysts in passing Sir Bobby Charlton’s 49-goal mark, per John Downes of the Mail Online:

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It's something I could never have dreamt of and I'm extremely proud tonight.

You play each game and each year as it comes, really, and I went through a spell around 2008 where I didn't score for a couple of years, I think, for England, and I think since Roy's come in, I've scored a lot, a lot of goals under Roy and I'm grateful for him to let me play with the freedom which I enjoy.

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The forward only scored a total of three goals for his country during the years 2010 and 2011, with Hodgson taking over the national team job in 2012. As noted here by sports reporter Guy Mowbray, the former Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion manager has been key to Rooney rediscovering the golden touch in an England shirt:

Hodgson, along with the other Three Lions players, also paid their own tribute to the 29-year-old in the dressing room afterwards with a touching presentation, as we can see here:

Naturally, there was a lot of external praise that came Rooney's way too, the most effusive of which from former England captain John Terry.

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The two played plenty of times together for the Three Lions and have had many tussles in the Premier League in matches between their respective club sides. After Rooney brought up his half-century, the Chelsea captain posted the following on his Instagram account, in which he hails the Red Devils man as England’s finest player of all time:

That’s a topic which certainly remains up for debate. After all, unlike Charlton and Gary Lineker, Rooney’s goals have never helped England to the final embers of a major tournament, never mind getting close to winning one as Sir Bobby’s 1966 team did. In addition, players who didn’t play up front, such as Bobby Moore, Gordon Banks, Bryan Robson and Paul Gascoigne all probably have a case to consider.

Associated Press

But if anything, the fact Rooney has been banging the goals in during a non-vintage England era makes his landmark strike all the more remarkable. Indeed, it’s a goalscoring record that stands aside some of the modern-day greats, per 101 Great Goals:

Perhaps most impressive of all when it comes to the Three Lions captain is that he’s still only 29 years old. His game is no longer as reliant on explosive pace and mesmerising dribbling as it was when he first burst onto the scene. It means this version of Rooney, a rounded, intelligent and instinctive striker, can go on to play for years at this level yet.

Hodgson has his flaws, but the manner in which he’s drawn the best out of such a complex and scrutinised footballer has been the major positive of his tenure. Whether he can continue to do so in upcoming major tournaments will further define his and Rooney’s legacy with the England team.