Wayne Rooney became Manchester United’s record scorer after moving onto 250 goals by netting a stoppage-time equalizer in Saturday’s Premier League game against Stoke.
Rooney had been tied on 249 goals with Bobby Charlton, who has held the record since 1973.
The 31-year-old England captain is in his 13th season at United and no longer assured of a starting spot. He came off the bench at Stoke to clinch a 1-1 draw and complete possibly the final major feat of his illustrious — if turbulent — career.
It confirms him as a modern-day great in English soccer, if not maybe the world game.
Some will say he hasn’t quite reached the heights expected of him after bursting onto the international scene with such brio at the 2004 European Championship, or that he hasn’t kicked on from when he was arguably at the top of his game with United in the 2009-10 season.
In that season, Rooney was at a level comparable to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But his career has tailed off somewhat — save for certain standout periods — while Messi and Ronaldo have gone from strength to strength, competing on an annual basis for FIFA’s Player of the Year award.
In some United supporters’ eyes, he has also tarnished his long stay at United by seeking to leave the club firstly in 2010 and again at the end of the 2012-13 season.
But there have been many memorable moments in the famous red jersey since moving to United from Everton for 20 million pounds as an 18-year-old prodigy in 2004, starting with his debut when he scored a hat trick in a Champions League match against Fenerbahce at Old Trafford.
He scored 17 goals in his first season, the highlight being a thunderous volley from 30 meters against Newcastle in April 2005 that will go down as one of the best goals in his career.
Ironically, Rooney has never been a prolific scorer. He managed 16 league goals in 2005-06, 14 in 2006-07, 12 in 2007-08 and 12 in 2008-09. His best scoring season for United was in 2009-10, when he netted 33 goals in all competitions (26 in the league) and he was named English soccer’s Player of the Year by his fellow professionals.
Some of Rooney’s other great goals include:
—His powerful volley from the edge of the area in a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough in the FA Cup in January 2005
—His overhead kick against Manchester City that sealed a 2-1 win at Old Trafford in February 2011
—His shot from the halfway line against West Ham in a 2-0 win at Upton Park in March 2014
In January this year, Rooney moved past Denis Law to become United’s second-highest scorer in 239 and, now playing as a deep-lying attacker or in midfield, began the slow crawl to overhaul the tally of club great Charlton that had stood since 1973.
He moved level with Charlton on Jan. 7, needing two more weeks to take the record outright.