53 goals, but just one at the World Cup – Wayne Rooney´s England career in Opta stats

Wayne Rooney has retired from England duty in a surprise decision less than a year before the World Cup.

Rooney’s 14-year international career came to an end when he released a statement on Wednesday after speaking to England manager Gareth Southgate.

The 31-year-old had started the season in fine fashion after re-joining Everton from Manchester United, prompting speculation he could make his first international appearance since last November.

However, Rooney opted to call it a day to focus on the end of his club career. Here, we look at 10 stats from his dramatic international career, courtesy of Opta: 

119 – Rooney won 119 caps for England, second only to Peter Shilton (125) and the most of any outfield player in the country’s history.

53 – The Everton striker’s 53 international goals is a national record, breaking Bobby Charlton’s previous mark of 49 in September 2015.

53 – Wayne Rooney is @England‘s all-time top scorer, netting 53 goals for his country between 2003 and 2016. Prestigious. pic.twitter.com/na1LT2x1EF

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 23, 2017

8,924 – Rooney racked up a total of 8,924 minutes on the pitch in his international career.

21 – Rooney made 21 appearances for his country at major tournaments. That puts him joint-second with Steven Gerrard. Ashley Cole (22) is the only player with more.

20 – The forward’s international career saw him produce a total of 20 assists.

1 – In those 21 tournament outings, he scored seven goals and registered two assists. But just one of his strikes came at a World Cup (in 2014), with six at the Euros.

1 – Wayne Rooney scored just one goal in 11 appearances at World Cup finals for England, despite attempting 21 shots overall. Unfortunate. pic.twitter.com/ndnKZkCiv5

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 23, 2017

6.4% – At Euro 2004, Rooney scored with 66.7% of his shots. From World Cup 2006 onwards, that rate dropped to 6.4% in major tournaments.

10 – However, Rooney was at his most creative during Euro 2016, laying on 10 chances for his team-mates while playing in a deeper role.

156.1 – Rooney scored a goal every 156.1 minutes in competitive matches. In friendlies, he did not fare as well, with a goal every 196.7 minutes.

8 – Rooney’s best goalscoring year for England was 2014, when he netted eight, while his worst years were 2006 and 2010, when he scored just once.