Saturday 5 September 2015 21:56, UK
With the help of expert views from Sir Geoff Hurst, England's hat-trick hero from the 1966 World Cup final, we take an in-depth look at the statistics in order to compare Wayne Rooney to other key players from the past...
With Rooney bearing down on Sir Bobby Charlton's record, the England captain looks set to become his country's all-time top goalscorer.
But is he really better than the likes of Jimmy Greaves, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Michael Owen or Hurst himself?
Such are the nuances of the argument, the debate about who should be regarded as England's best goalscorer ever will rage on.
Who has the best strike rate? Which players did it when it mattered in competitive games? What about the quality of the opposition?
Here, we pick out some of England's finest goalscorers of the past 60 years to get a clearer picture of who really was the best…
THE MAIN CONTENDERS
Sir Bobby Charlton (Caps: 106 / Goals: 49)
Charlton made his debut for England in 1958 and went on to be part of four England World Cup squads, most notably helping his country to win the trophy on home soil in 1966. He was later awarded FIFA's Golden Ball for his performances in that tournament. He became England's record goalscorer in May 1968 – a record that has stood for over 47 years.
Hurst on Charlton: "It's certainly worth mentioning that Sir Bobby Charlton was not a forward player. He was a midfield player. So while taking nothing away from Wayne's achievements, it's an enormous achievement in itself to score one goal in every two games for England as a midfield player."
Jimmy Greaves (Caps: 57 / Goals: 44)
It was Greaves' record of 44 goals that Charlton broke. A remarkable goalscorer even in his youth, Greaves became the youngest man to score 100 league goals in English football, boasting a phenomenal strike rate with Chelsea and Tottenham. He replicated that form for England and was involved at two World Cups but famously missed out on the 1966 final.
Hurst on Greaves: "Jimmy Greaves is the best. No question. I bumped into a nephew of my neighbour's the other day and he had no idea who he was. I had to very quickly hit him with Jimmy's stats. They're sensational. Three goals in every four games is astonishing. If you had to pick an England striker on the stats, Jimmy would be top by a considerable distance."
Sir Geoff Hurst (Caps: 49 / Goals: 24)
Hurst made his England debut against West Germany in February 1966 and, remarkably, scored a hat-trick against the same opposition in a Wembley World Cup final just five months later. He remains the only man to achieve the feat and went on to score regularly for England over the next six years, netting again for his country at Mexico '70.
Hurst on Hurst: "I never even dreamed of playing for England but I did it against the best opponents and in important games – World Cup quarter-finals, World Cup finals. Funnily enough, I look back on my career and feel I maybe should have been playing three or four years before. Then my record might have been a bit better!"
Gary Lineker (Caps: 80 / Goals: 48)
Lineker's goalscoring efforts with Leicester and Everton ensured he was England's first-choice striker at the 1986 World Cup, where he won the Golden Boot, scoring six goals. After a spell with Barcelona, he returned to England with Tottenham and scored a further four goals for his country as Sir Bobby Robson's side reached the semi-finals at Italia '90.
Hurst on Lineker: "I saw one of his England hat-tricks live and he really was a superb striker with a fantastic record. You've got to consider whether a player did it in the important games and World Cups are the important games. He did it in World Cups and that's impressive in itself."
Alan Shearer (Caps: 63 / Goals: 30)
Part of the squad at Euro '92, Shearer – and England – missed the 1994 World Cup but he was the tournament top scorer at Euro '96 and found the net for England at each of the next two tournaments as well. England's captain on 34 occasions as well as their centre-forward, Shearer retired from international football after his third European Championship in 2000.
Hurst on Shearer: "He was an absolutely top-class goalscorer and centre-forward for all of the clubs he played for as well as for England. Without question, he's one of the best centre-forwards that we've had and his record proves that."
Michael Owen (Caps: 89 / Goals: 40)
Owen was just 18 when he scored his wonder goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup and went on to be a consistent goalscorer for England for years to come. He found the net at Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 but an injury at the 2006 World Cup slowed his progress and Owen played his last game for England aged just 28.
Hurst on Owen: "Owen was a fantastic goalscorer for Liverpool and even later on with the other clubs he played for. He got 40 goals in 89 games so that's pretty much one in two at international level, which is a fantastic achievement. For Wayne to have already beaten people like this is impressive."
Wayne Rooney (Caps: 105 / Goals: 48)
Rooney burst onto the scene at Euro 2004, scoring four goals in the group stages as an 18-year-old before getting injured in the quarter-final. While there have been only two further goals at major tournaments, Rooney has top scored for England in consecutive World Cup qualifying campaigns and is just one goal short of Charlton's England goalscoring record.
Hurst on Rooney: "Breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's record is a significant achievement. Wayne has been fortunate in one sense in that he started quite young. But he's been unfortunate with the criticism because I had as many spells as he's had without scoring, but there wasn't the huge media coverage there is today. I think the only disappointment from Wayne's career is probably that he hasn't really been involved in the final stages of a World Cup."
THE CRITERIA
Best strike rate
A goal for Rooney against San Marino at the weekend would see him equal Charlton's record in exactly the same number of games. But with Jimmy Greaves having scored his 44 England goals from just 57 appearances, he boasts a far superior strike rate.
Competitive goals
When it comes to scoring in competitive games for his country, Wayne Rooney is well clear of the rest with 34 international goals and counting. Rooney has been among the top 10 goalscorers in Europe in qualifying for each of the last two World Cups.
Tournament goals
In major finals, Rooney's record is rather less impressive – only breaking his World Cup duck at his third tournament. It's Gary Lineker, with 10 World Cup goals, who leads the way for England in terms of finding the net at major tournaments.
Against quality opponents
Lineker had a good record against World Cup winning opponents but each of Greaves, Charlton, Shearer and Rooney were unable to score one-in-two against the game's most successful nations.
The man with the best record against the top teams remains Sir Geoff Hurst – and not just for the obvious reasons. As well as his World Cup final hat-trick, he scored another against France and also found the net against Argentina and Uruguay.
THE VERDICT
Take your pick. Ultimately, it's a matter of personal preference. But for those questioning Rooney, perhaps Hurst himself should have the final say. "Goals are important," he told Sky Sports. "But if you put that to one side for a moment, you'd still say Rooney has been one of the great players of this era and deserves to be compared to the great players of any era."
Sir Geoff Hurst was speaking to promote Bo66y Moore the Movie, launching on September 3rd at kickstarter.com
For more information visit www.bobbymooremovie.com