Wayne Rooney has disclosed his pick for the title of England’s all-time best footballer, leaving Gary Neville quite astonished.
Rooney, with his impressive record of 53 goals and 120 caps, only surpassed by two others, is undeniably a contender for the finest to ever don the Three Lions jersey.
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Icons like Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore, who triumphed in the 1966 World Cup, are often hailed as England’s finest footballing legends.
Contemporary legends such as David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard, each boasting over 100 international appearances, have cemented their status as English football royalty, despite not securing any trophies on the international stage.
Yet, Rooney has set aside these legendary figures, asserting that Harry Kane, the current captain of the Three Lions, has outshone them all in the past ten years.
In March 2023, Kane claimed the title of England’s top goalscorer, eclipsing Rooney’s previous record. He also holds the record for the most goals scored for Tottenham and ranks as the Premier League’s second-highest scorer.
At the age of 30, after scoring 44 goals in 45 matches in his inaugural season with Bayern Munich, Kane led England to the Euro 2020 finals, where they lost to Italy in a penalty shootout, and secured the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup.
Asked about Kane’s influence for England and his ability ahead of this summer’s Euros, Rooney said on The Overlap: ‘I think he’s incredible.
‘You look at all the goals he’s scored and the assists he’s added over the last few years as well. For me, I would say he’s England’s greatest-ever player.’
Rooney made the claim to his former England and Manchester United team-mate Neville, who was surprised before responding: ‘England’s greatest-ever player? That’s some statement, especially from you…’
Rooney then added: ‘I believe it. There’s never any issues with him. He never misses games, he’s ultra-professional. That’s a common theme with the best players.’
England is set to embark on their Euro 2024 journey in just under three weeks, initiating their group stage battles with a match against Serbia on June 16. They will also face Denmark and Slovenia in the competitive Group C.
The bulk of Gareth Southgate’s tentative squad of 33 players convened at St George’s Park this Wednesday. They are preparing for England’s concluding pair of preparatory matches before setting off for Germany to compete in the Euros.
‘There are so many aspects to being with this group of people that I love,’ Southgate said this week, looking ahead to Euro 2024. ‘We have some really special people who bring brilliant energy to the group.
‘That’s what creates the environment that the players come into and can feed off. Ultimately we’re trying to form a team and a group that have got to push each other and be there for each other.
‘There’s a team dynamic that’s crucial to winning that we have to find. People will have slightly different roles that they will with their clubs.
‘At their club, all of these guys are pretty much first choice on the team sheet, so some have different roles in the next few weeks.
‘The challenge of winning the games and the excitement of seeing our fans out there in some of the biggest occasions in world football is why you’re in the game really. That’s what we’re looking forward to.’
