‘Not something I could have imagined’
Wayne Rooney said he could never have imagined equaling Bobby Charlton’s Manchester United scoring record after bagging his 249th goal for the club in Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup win over Reading.
The 31-year-old, who joined United from Everton in 2004, opened the scoring in the seventh minute to move alongside Charlton, who was watching from the stands at Old Trafford.
Rooney will have to wait for another day to surpass the former England World Cup winner, however, after failing to add to his tally in a one-sided match.
“It is a proud moment. To do it at such a massive club like Manchester United, I am hugely honored and it is really a proud moment for me,” Rooney said.
“It was not something I could have imagined. You don’t think that far ahead, but I have been at this club a long time, it is a huge part of my life and it is an honor to be up there alongside Sir Bobby.
“You want to do records in front of your home fans and we have got two home games coming up and hopefully I can get the next one in one of those.”
Rooney, who surpassed Charlton’s England scoring record of 49 goals in 2015, has enjoyed a glittering career at Old Trafford since scoring a Champions League hat-trick in his debut against Fenerbahce in 2004.
He has been an integral part of five Premier League titlewinning teams, one Champions League triumph, an FA Cup and two League Cups.
Rooney was also named PFA player of the year in 200910.
He matched Charlton’s record, which stood since 1973, in 215 fewer games, reaching double figures every season — topped by firing 34 goals in both 2009-10 and 2011-12.
England skipper Rooney, however, has not been an automatic selection under new manager Jose Mourinho.
“A more special day will arrive. It was great but I want one more goal,” Mourinho said.
“Wayne is an amazing guy in the group and we all want him to do that. To have him as the top scorer on a club like this is magnificent for him.”
Although poised to become the club’s record scorer, Rooney’s goals have not come at the fastest rate.
His strikes have come at the rate of 0.45 per game, putting him eighth on United’s alltime list, which is headed by Tommy Taylor.