Wayne Rooney, a teenager when he arrived at Manchester United more than a decade ago, beamed with delight on Saturday after plundering a stoppage-time equaliser to become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.
A free-kick agaist stoke city brought his 250th goal for United and, by being both exquisite and dramatic, it was a fitting way for Rooney, on as a substitute, to surpass Sir Bobby Charlton’s record.
“[It means] a hell of a lot,” said Rooney, his joy diluted by the fact that his goal earned just one point rather than the three United had been seeking. “It’s difficult at the moment to be over-pleased because of the result – two points dropped – but in the grand scheme of things it’s a huge honour for me. It’s something I never expected when I joined the club but I’m really proud and hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”
This was Rooney’s 546th appearance for United since joining the club from Everton as an 18-year-old in 2004 and during that time he has established himself as England most prolific mark man, with 53 goals from 119 caps so far, surpassing Charlton’s mark of 49. The World Cup winner’s United record had stood for 44 years and he was on hand to witness Rooney eclipse it. He led the tributes. “He’s a true great for club and country,” said Charlton. “It’s fitting he is now the highest goalscorer for both United and England.”
It was perhaps also fitting that the goal came against a team managed by Mark Hughes, one of many excellent former strikers below Rooney in the United’s roll of honour. “It’s an unbelievable achievement,” said Hughes. “Sir Bobby’s record stood for 40-odd years and a lot of good strikers have been and gone in that time and not got anywhere near it. Clearly we didn’t want to have it happen today but it is fair to say he has done that throughout his career. You only have to give top players one opportunity. He had to produce a ball that was right on the money and that’s what he’s done.
“United players through the years have to score goals right at the death and at that late stage you think maybe the game is slipping away from them. The little bit of magic from Wayne has got them something from the game.”
José Mourinho, meanwhile, lavished praise on Rooney but also expressed the hope that finally reaching the milestone will clear the air around United. He suggested that the loud and protracted yearning for Rooney to break the record had been becoming an irritating sideshow. “It’s been going on too long,” said Mourinho. “I think it’s an amazing achievement, something not to forget, and I think you should speak abut Wayne’s record today and tomorrow for 24 hours a day and then let him be a normal guy.
“Obviously he is a legend in the history of our club and English football, but the record is in his pocket and now we just want to let him be a normal player and try to score more goals.”
On Sunday Rooney will be presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Football Writers’ Association in a ceremony that had been arranged before the goal at Stoke. Mourinho said that made the timing of his goal all the better. “It comes at exactly the most beautiful moment you could chose.”
Mourinho was aghast, however, with the finishing of the rest of United’s players on a day when his team spurned several chances, a recurring problem this term. “Sometimes I’m on the bench and I’m tired of seeing my team play so well and create so many chances but it’s always dramatic to score a goal.
“I’ve been saying for a long time that one day we will score every chance and somebody will go home with six or seven in the basket but the reality is that never arrives and we always struggle so much to score.”
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