Manchester United royalty line up to praise Rooney’s record

Wayne Rooney called it a proud day after he became Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer on the weekend and the biggest names in club history lined up to echo those sentiments.

Rooney’s stunning late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Stoke City pushed him out beyond Sir Bobby Charlton’s previous record of 249 goals and last year he also took the World Cup winner’s record for England goals.

“It’s not just today, it’s from the first goal I scored for the club, so it’s built up to this day,” he said.

“It’s a proud moment for me and a huge honour to get that record, just a bit dampened by the result. It’s about a career and I still feel there’s a lot more to come, but overall it’s a really proud moment for me.

“I don’t really want to stand here and talk about myself, to be honest, but I think it’s fitting that the player who got the two records off Sir Bobby is a Manchester United player.”

Charlton himself could not have wished for a better player to replace him at the top of the charts.

“I would be lying to say that I’m not disappointed to have lost the record. However, I can honestly say that I’m delighted for Wayne. He deserves his place in the history books,” said the club legend.

And Sir Alex Ferguson added:  “I would like to say huge congratulations to Wayne on reaching this milestone. It is no mean feat to score so many goals and he breaks a record that has stood for over 40 years.”