RUEFUL END FOR ROONEY

England’s all-time leading scorer ends international career tainted by silverware shortage

While Wayne Rooney will never silence the cynics who complain about his lack of silverware in an England shirt, the astonishing array of records set by the striker ensure his place as one of his country’s all-time greats.

Rooney’s announcement of his retirement from the international stage on Wednesday brought the curtain down on an England career that began in a blaze of hyperbole and ended with the Everton striker rejecting Gareth Southgate’s offer of a return to the fold.

The 31-year-old’s 13-year England career featured many highs but will probably be remembered more for the shattering lows that made him one of his country’s most polarizing players.

From the boy who grew up on the rough Liverpool streets of Croxteth to the man who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League with Manchester United, Rooney’s rise was the stuff of boyhood fantasy, and the England chapter of his tale is well worth retelling.

Rooney is England’s all-time leading scorer with 53 goals — more than Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker and Jimmy Greaves — while his 119 appearances make him his country’s most capped outfield player ahead of the likes of Bobby Moore and David Beckham.

The major blemish is his failure to transform England into a global force, but even Barcelona icon Lionel Messi has found that a big ask for Argentina.

Etched in the memory as the teak-tough street fighter who would crunch into a tackle with as much relish as he took from scoring with a 30-yard rocket, Rooney burst onto the England scene as a 17-year-old in 2003.

His debut came in a 3-1 loss to Australia at Upton Park before his first goal followed against Macedonia.

The sight of Rooney tormenting the Switzerland and Croatia defenses in Euro 2004 promised a golden future for the player and his country, but, foreshadowing the angst to come, a broken bone in his foot proved fatal to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team as it lost to Portugal in the quarterfinals.

Rooney went on to play in three World Cups and two further European championships, showing boundless commitment to the England cause.

At times that enthusiasm was to his detriment when he came back from injuries too quickly.

He famously announced before the 2006 World Cup that “the big man is back”, only to flop as he played at less than 100 percent fitness before being sent off for stamping on Portugal’s Ricardo Carvalho as Eriksson’s men stumbled through one of a series of humbling last-eight exits from major finals.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa was supposed to be Rooney’s tournament after a fine campaign with United, but his most memorable contribution came at the end of a 0-0 draw against Algeria when he turned to the camera and criticized England fans for booing their own side.

England was dismal at the 2014 World Cup and his last tournament ended in misery when Roy Hodgson’s team was utterly humiliated by Iceland at Euro 2016.

Of Rooney’s seven goals at major tournaments, only one came at a World Cup, while four were when he was just 18.

Captaining England 29 times, Rooney’s last appearance came in a win against Scotland in November.

The great irony of Rooney’s decision to retire is it came at the moment when he looked capable of one last flourish after an impressive start for Everton following his summer move back to his boyhood club.

Three Lions boss Southgate, who dropped Rooney in May, was persuaded by his flying start for the Toffees to offer him another chance.

But Rooney, marching to his own drum until the end, preferred to focus on his club.

Few would deny that England’s loss is Everton’s gain.