Rooney Honoured to Equal Bobby Charlton Goals Record
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has said that he is “honoured” to be level with Sir Bobby Charlton as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer – but wants to break the record soon.
His FA Cup strike against Reading took Rooney, 31, to 249 goals in 543 games, reaching the landmark 215 matches and four seasons quicker than Charlton.
“It’s a proud moment,” he said.
“We’ve got two home games coming up this week so hopefully I can get the next one in one of those.”
United plays Hull City in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Tuesday (20:00 GMT kick-off), before taking on Liverpool in the Premier League at 16:00 on January 15.
“This club is a huge part of my life and I’m honoured to be up there alongside Sir Bobby,” said Rooney after Saturday’s 4-0 win over the Royals at Old Trafford.
United manager Jose Mourinho said: “A more special day will arrive. It was great but I want one more goal. He is an amazing guy in the group and we all want him to do it. To have Wayne as the top scorer in a club like this is magnificent for him.”
Reading boss Jaap Stam, who played 127 times for United, added: “Wayne has been a great player from the beginning. He is a player who works very hard for the team and you could see that in the game. With the quality he has as an individual and the quality players he is playing with, it makes him an outstanding player.
“It is not surprising he has scored this many goals. Even when they are 4-0 up, he is still sprinting and running for the ball.”
In 2015, Rooney surpassed World Cup winner Charlton’s England scoring record of 49 goals and has since taken his international tally to 53.
The United landmark comes during a season in which the England captain has been left out of the starting line-up for both club and country, his record-equalling goal being just his fourth of the campaign.
Former United manager David Moyes, now at Sunderland, added: “First of all it’s congratulations. To even get mentioned in the same breath as Sir Bobby Charlton, who for so many people is a great for what he did with England and Manchester United, is an achievement.
“You have to give Wayne Rooney credit for the limelight he has had to work under and the pressure people continually put on him.
“He has had a great career. It comes to an end at some time in football and sometimes you drop off a little bit but Wayne was always going to break the records in my eyes. The times I have worked with him he was always very good. A great player, a great trainer and someone who always wanted to go about his business well.”
The signs were there from the very start that Rooney’s could be a stellar Old Trafford career.
In his first game following a £27m move from Everton in 2004, he scored a hat-trick against Fenerbahce in a 6-2 Champions League win.
He has not looked back since, reaching double figures in every season at the club, including a career-high 34 in all competitions in 2009-10 and 2011-12.
