Wednesday 2 September 2015 23:44, UK
Sir Geoff Hurst believes Wayne Rooney to be a "true great" but doubts he will ever be able to match the success of Sir Bobby Charlton.
Rooney is presently on 48 international goals, one shy of Charlton's haul, and could pass the 1966 World Cup winner over the course of England's next two European Qualifiers 2016 qualification fixtures, at San Marino on Saturday and at home to Switzerland on Tuesday.
Hurst and Charlton enjoyed huge success as England team-mates, including the country's sole World Cup success nearly 50 years ago, and although he is a passionate Rooney fan, he believes Charlton's overall achievements to be far superior.
"Rooney's a true great," said Hurst, who was speaking at the launch of the Kickstarter campaign for Bo66y The Movie, a documentary about England great Bobby Moore.
Hurst sympathised with Rooney coming under focus for a recent Manchester United goal drought, saying: "I'd have the same issue when I was playing for England or West Ham where I'd have a patch not scoring - but everybody didn't harp on about it.
"Figure-wise, of course, if he goes above (Charlton's 49 goals) it's a great achievement, no question at all. The only thing I would say is if you're making comparisons, Wayne is a front player, whereas Bobby Charlton scored 49 goals as a midfield player. It just shows you the astonishing ability of Sir Robert Charlton.
"There is a little way to go, when you make comparisons as players. It's not only their ability, it's what they achieved in the game, and of course Bobby Charlton was the member of a World Cup-winning team, which Wayne's not yet.
"There's that differential there, which I would always argue. But his is a great achievement. (Rooney is) a terrific player, with or without the number of goals he's scored. His performances at Man United and England have been terrific over the years."
