Wayne Rooney has called time on his international career with immediate effect, retiring whilst topping England's leading goalscorer charts with 53 strikes.
The former Three Lions skipper is beaten only by Peter Shilton in regards to caps for the England national team, with Rooney's 119 just short of the former goalkeeper's 125.
Rooney 16/5 to score against Chelsea
Rooney's involvement in front of goal at both club and international level has become secondary as the 31-year-old developed into a deeper midfield role. Rooney played 698 minutes of international football for England in 2016, scoring twice from 24 shots at goal — his worst ratio of shots scored in an England shirt (8.3%) since 2010 (2.9%).
WAYNE ROONEY ENGLAND STATS
| England Career | Competitive | Non-Competitive |
|---|---|---|
| Apps | 74 | 45 |
| Mins Played | 5,777 | 3,147 |
| Goals | 37 | 16 |
| Total Shots | 268 | 112 |
| % Shots Scored | 13.80% | 14.30% |
| Mins per Goal | 156.1 | 196.7 |
| Goal Assists | 16 | 4 |
| Chances Created | 132 | 60 |
| Mins per Goal Involvement | 109 | 157.4 |
During his England career, Rooney managed a ratio of a goal every 156.1 minutes in competitive games — a higher ratio than in non-competitive friendlies. Rooney made 74 competitive appearances for the Three Lions, playing 5,777 minutes, and found the net on 37 occasions from 286 shots.
Add to that 132 chances created, and 16 assists, and Rooney's minutes per goal involvement ratio equates to once every 109 minutes, compared to 157 minutes in non-competitive outings.
A concern to England fans has been Rooney's performances at international tournaments, however — scoring just seven goals in 21 appearances in World Cup and European Championship finals. Following his breakthrough tournament at Euro 2004, in fact, Rooney scored just three goals and assisted another in 17 tournament appearances.
Having scored four goals during the 2004 tournament, Rooney failed to score in 2006 and 2010, while finding the net just once in the following three competitions.
His conversion rate of shots since the start of the 2006 World Cup in international tournaments for England was just 6.4%.
Nevertheless, Rooney goes down as one of England's greatest ever talents and will hold his accolades for some time.