The England captain surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 249 goals after his stoppage time strike against Stoke on Saturday to become the all-time Man United top goalscorer.
(Image credit: The Guardian)
Despite seeing his chances in front of goal limited in recent years, Rooney has still managed to overcome personal and tactical setbacks to be crowned the leading Man United top goalscorer with an impressive 250 strikes to his name. The current campaign is Rooney’s 13th with the Old Trafford side, which has seen him make 546 appearances overall until this point, giving him a goal ratio of 0.46 goals per game. He has 180 goals in the Premier League, 22 in the FA Cup, 5 in the League Cup, 39 in European competitions and 4 in other minor tournaments.
“I’m committed,” commented the 31-year-old. “I have been at the club for a long time. Football is a strange game. Anything can happen and things change very quickly but I am happy at Manchester United.”
As to becoming the new Man United top goalscorer, he stressed this achievement is one of the highlights of his career with the club and will remain with him indefinitely.
“It is obviously a great achievement. And it is a moment in my career which I am extremely proud of. It is something which has built up over the years and it has happened, I am delighted, and it is something that will stick with me forever. I am really pleased, proud and I would like to thank everyone for their messages over the last 24 hours, they have been great and I appreciate it.”
| Man United Top Goalscorers | Total Goals | Total Apparances | Years Active |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Wayne Rooney | 250 (as of January 23, 2017) | 546 | 2004-present |
| 2) Bobby Charlton | 249 | 758 | 1956-1973 |
| 3) Denis Law | 237 | 404 | 1962-1973 |
| 4) Jack Rowley | 211 | 424 | 1937-1955 |
| 5) Dennis Viollet | 179 | 293 | 1952-1962 |
| 6) George Best | 179 | 470 | 1963-1974 |
| 7) Ryan Giggs | 168 | 963 | 1991-2014 |
| 8) Joe Spence | 168 | 510 | 1919-1933 |
| 9) Mark Hughes | 163 | 467 | 1983-1986, 1988-1995 |
| 10) Paul Scholes | 155 | 718 | 1994-2011, 2012-2013 |
Rooney joined the club as an 18-year-old wonderkid from Everton, after Man United managed to outbid Newcastle United for his signature. He hit the ground running in his very first season, netting 11 goals in 29 Premier League appearances (17 overall), and he managed to build on his strong performances in subsequent seasons. When Man United sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a then world-record £80 million in the summer of 2009, Rooney became the main attacking threat of Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. He thrived under increased responsibilities by finding the back of the net 26 times in the English top flight, while netting 34 across all competitions during the 2009/10 season – one of his two greatest goalscoring seasons for the Red Devils.
He managed to hit 34 goals overall once again in the 2011/12 campaign, however since then he has never again recorded 20 or more goals during a single season, with his most prolific campaign since then being 2013/14, with 19 goals overall. His achievement of reaching 250 goals and thus becoming the all-time Man United top goalscorer is remarkable, however his strike against Stoke City on Saturday was only his fifth goal this season, in all competitions – it was actually his second goal in 16 Premier League outings so far.
But his stats in front of goal are not only his to blame; Man United boss Jose Mourinho has given the main goalscoring responsibilities to Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who already struck the back of the net 19 times overall – while Rooney now mainly operates from the midfield position, which understandably gives him less chance on goal.
Rooney has beaten Sir Bobby Charlton’s long-standing record of 249 goals to become the new Man United top goalscorer. (Image credit: Sky Sports)
To say that his career at Old Trafford has always been smooth would be laughable, considering he was on the verge of leaving the club twice in the span of three years. He first rejected a contract extension by the club in late 2010, as he sought to monetize on his popularity, and there were widespread reports that Man City – Man United’s cross-town rivals – were willing to give him a carte blanche of sorts if he were to join the Etihad Stadium.
And then in the summer of 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down and was replaced with David Moyes – Rooney’s former manager at Everton – the striker reportedly gave in a transfer request which immediately saw a number of top European sides enter the race for his signature, with the most notable one being Chelsea. However, the London side’s bid of £20 million was rejected by the Man United chiefs and soon after, in February 2014, Rooney agreed to put pen to paper on a new contract that would keep him at Old Trafford until the end of the 2018/19 campaign.
Reaching the very top of the Man United top goalscorer chart may very well be Rooney’s final great achievement, considering he reached his career peak years ago, and his form has decreased at a steady rate in recent campaigns. Judging by his previous pursuits of the ‘green’ (and we’re not talking about the grass on the pitch), we can easily see him depart England for the riches of China in a few years time. But until then, he will surely extend his lead as the Man United top goalscorer by a few more goals.
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