Share

50 up: Rooney emotional, delighted

London - Wayne Rooney was overcome with emotion after becoming England's all-time record score rat Wembley on Tuesday

Rooney smashed home his 50th goal with an 84th minute penalty in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland.

The England skipper, who scored from the spot after Granit Xhaka had fouled Raheem Sterling, has now passed the mark of 49 goals established by Bobby Charlton in May 1970.

The FA presented the 29-year-old with a replica shirt with "Rooney 50" on the back in the dressing room after the 2-0 win secured top spot in Group E for already-qualified England.

Charlton will be invited to present fellow Manchester United great Rooney with a golden boot to mark the record before England's next home match against Estonia in October.

Asked to describe his feelings, Rooney, who equalled Charlton's record also with a penalty away to San Marino on Saturday, said: "It's a great feeling obviously.

"I've known I've been close to it for the last few England games and to finally do it is a dream come true and as you've probably seen I was a bit emotional out there.

"It's a huge honour and something I'm extremely proud of and happy it's done and hopefully I can kick on from here and concentrate now again on the team and hopefully success in the future," he told ITV.

"I am pleased its out of the way because now I don't have to keep on being asked questions about it."

Rooney blasted his penalty past Yann Sommer making sure he hit it with enough venom to give the Swiss keeper no chance.

"It was a big moment for me and I just picked my corner and put my boot through it to get as much power on it as possible and make it hard for the goalkeeper and the keeper got a touch and thankfully it had too much power so I'm grateful for that.

Asked where it ranked in a career in which he has won five Premier League titles and the Champions League, he said: "It's right up there if not the best to be your country's all-time leading goalscorer before the age of 30.

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

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1817 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1777 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1083 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 460 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE