England skipper Wayne Rooney has drawn level with Old Trafford great Sir Bobby Charlton as England’s all-time leading goalscorer after registering the 49th goal for his country in the EURO 2016 qualifying round against San Marino on Saturday.
The Manchester United forward took only 12 minutes to draw level with his hero on 49 England goals and looked all set to surpass the record long-held by Old Trafford legend.
However, in a bizarre move, Roy Hodgson took the captain off in the 58th minute, denying him the opportunity to bring up his 50 in the 6-0 victory over minnows. The decision was booed by some of the England supporters.
The 29-year-old will now have to wait until Tuesday’s home game against Switzerland to bring up his half-century.
After an embarrassing World Cup exit last year, Hodgson has done exceptionally well to qualify for the Euro 2016 with three matches still in hand.
After claiming seven victories from as many matches, the Three Lions stretched their winning streak to 12 games for the first time since 1996.
There may now be an increased demand for tickets on Tuesday when a Wembley crowd could watch Rooney rewrite record books against Switzerland.
