Wayne Rooney gives speech in England dressing room after record
Wednesday 9 September 2015 21:42, UK
After breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's England goalscoring record on Tuesday, Wayne Rooney thanked those who have helped his career.
The captain brought up 50 England goals - one more than Charlton's milestone - by netting a penalty during the 2-0 victory over Switzerland at Wembley.
Back in the dressing room, manager Roy Hodgson presented the skipper with a commemorative shirt on which 'Rooney 50' was printed on the back.
His team-mates then chanted Rooney's name, which led to the record-breaker making an impromptu speech.
"I want to thank all of the coaches, the players, and the staff who I have worked with for such a long time," he said.
"This is such a huge moment for myself and my family in my career. Hopefully for the team and for myself there will be a lot more to come, we can be successful.
Hopefully for the team and for myself there will be a lot more to come, we can be successful.
"Hopefully a lot of the younger lads coming through like Harry [Kane], Ross [Barkley], and Raheem [Sterling] can come close and even pass me in the future.
"I am grateful, it means the world to me and thank you very much."
Charlton, a member of England's World Cup-winning side in 1966, said of Rooney's achievement: "I would like to congratulate Wayne on becoming England's leading goalscorer.
"I have always been very proud to hold this record. Playing for my country was always an honour and a privilege and something I did with great pride.
"I obviously cannot deny that I am disappointed that I now don't hold this record, however, I am absolutely delighted that it is Wayne, as captain of my beloved club and country, who now holds this record.
"On behalf of myself and everyone at Manchester United I would like to say congratulations Wayne this is a very proud moment for you and your family. It is a record that I am sure you will hold for a long time."
Rooney took 12 years and 107 matches to bring up his half-century and Hodgson believes he could potentially score upwards of 60 goals.
Hodgson added: "If he plays to 2018 at least we are talking 20 or 30 games, so 10 to 15 goals with his rate of scoring."
Play the video at the top of the page to watch Rooney address his England team-mates in the dressing room. Video courtesy of FATV.
