Is Rooney England's best striker ever?

[Modo]

Of course not. Well not in my opinion.

My picks, going from the first world cup (1990) I remember until now, are:

1. Lineker
2. Owen
3. Shearer
4. Rooney
5. Sheringham
6. Beardsley
7. Crouch
8. Heskey
----------------------- This is where it gets a bit difficult.
9. Defoe
10. Sturridge

I'm expecting an uproar now that I left Fowler out, and the reason for this is because he didn't really do too well for England. Of course, there are several factors that explains his lack of goals in the England shirt, but it is what it is.
I also left Ferdinand and Cole out.

Possible controversial picks or placings:

Rooney - Why isn't he higher up in the list? I'm basically going by performance in major tournaments. His goalscoring record is actually better than Shearer and Owen's but they scored when it mattered imo. Playing for Everton and Man U at club level doesn't help either. 😉

Crouch - His record speaks for itself. When he played, he usually scored. 22 goals in 42 games. Not many players in that top ten list can beat that.

Heskey - Over 60 caps for England, that must mean something. Obviously playing with Owen at club level helped him but it also helped Owen in some ways. I know he's not that popular with the fan base because he didn't score that many goals, but the work he did upfront to support his striker partner didn't go unnoticed I believe.

Beardsley - Played his best football in the 80s but I do remember seeing him play for England. I must admit that I wasn't sure where I'd place him.

If Sturridge can remain injury free he will move up that list.

 

[gkmacca]

Well, Greaves was before my time but he must be high on any list if we're talking strikers as such rather than just goalscorers. In the same sense, Sir Roger must also figure - certainly above Heskey and the like. Keegan would also be in the top ten.

 

[Markeh]

Crouch - His record speaks for itself. When he played, he usually scored. 22 goals in 42 games. Not many players in that top ten list can beat that.

None can, can they?

Young Owen was a great watch, that top 10 sounds about right to me.

 

[peterhague]

Bar 2004, the England sides Rooney has played in have been horrible, absolutely charmless. Bloated, overhyped, stolid, puddings of football teams.

It's not his fault but I find it really colours my view of him as an England player, even more than him being a scummy Utd player does. And obv he's been utter shit at the tournaments, too.


Lineker at least surely made a more meaningful contribution overall.

 

[Modo]

None can, can they?

Lineker is the only one.

 

[Dreambeliever]

It's crazy Fowler never got a run for England when you see that list.

Crouch, Heskey, Defoe.

Jesus.

Lineker is head and shoulders above the rest for me. What a striker he was.

 

[Frogfish]

Best striker EVER and yet all on that list are either still playing or retired in the past 5 years or so. Sheesh.

Sky generation child.

 

[Silver Sean]

No. Next question.

 

[Markeh]

Best striker EVER and yet all on that list are either still playing or retired in the past 5 years or so. Sheesh.

Sky generation child.

Did you miss Beardsley and Lineker? They were retired at least 15 years ago

 

[Insignificance]

Lineker
Keegan
Greavsie
Hurst
Shearer
Rooney
Beardsley

Rest?

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Here's how I'd put the top 5 from the last twenty or so years:
1. Lineker
2. Rooney
3. Shearer
4. Owen
5. Sheringham

 

[Frogfish]

Did you miss Beardsley and Lineker? They were retired at least 15 years ago

Seems like yesterday to me 😉

 

[Frogfish]

If you are going to assess this then not only stats but quality of opposition (I'm pretty sure there were no San Marinos or Gibraltars 50 years ago) must be taken into account. Then of course penalty takers have a huge advantage that should be accounted for and maybe also a great player playing in a crap team. It's a near impossible task but the likes of Finney (0.394), Hurst (0.490), Lofthouse (0.909 - 33 caps), Shearer (0.476), Charlton (0.462), Owen (0.449), Crouch (0.523 - 42 caps), Channon (0.457 - 46 caps), Lineker (0.60) and probably the greatest of them all, Greaves (0.77). Even Platt has a better goals per game stat (0.436 - 62 caps)

On consideration of the above Rooney (0.403) wouldn't/shouldn't get in the Top 10 (and neither should Keegan - 0.333 from games) and maybe not even Top 20 if quality of opposition etc. was measurable ! On a goals per match stat he is only 9th in United's all time rankings as well.

* I haven't included any of the pre-war (WWII) top scorers or those from just post-war when opposition was likely very weak (ruling out Lawton 0.957 and Mortenson 0.920).

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Rooney's goals per minutes(rather than per match) is going to be higher than most of the players playing in the sixties and before, due to the fact that he has obviously been substituted and they either never were, or were very unlikely to be until the 70's.

Most of the earlier players scored most of their goals in friendlies too, Charlton scored 75% of his in them. So I think that negates the San Marino point too.

 

[Frogfish]

Rooney's goals per minutes(rather than per match) is going to be higher than most of the players playing in the sixties and before, due to the fact that he has obviously been substituted and they either never were, or were very unlikely to be until the 70's.

Most of the earlier players scored most of their goals in friendlies too, Charlton scored 75% of his in them. So I think that negates the San Marino point too.

Good point about subs Gerry. I had completely forgotten there weren't any in those days !

 

[Woland]

Rooney has gradually got to the total, but I don't think he's done anything great or blown anyone away along the way.

Think of Owen's goal against Argentina. Actually that's an awful baseline as you couldn't really get any better... Well maybe if you scored a hatrick against Germany in Munich...

I dunno about Jack Charlton, but even in highlights I can't get past the hair. I can't see how a Donald Trump looking bellend like him could possibly be the best English striker ever, it's impossible.

Lineker wins. Mexico 86. Those goals. Him and Beardsley. Awesome stuff. And he just kept at it for so long. I reckon if Owen had stayed fir we'd be having a proper debate between those two. But Rooney, with zero goals of importance and only picking them up due to a long slog in the position with barely any decent competition. Fuck off.

 

[Frogfish]

I dunno about Jack Charlton, but even in highlights I can't get past the hair. I can't see how a Donald Trump looking bellend like him could possibly be the best English striker ever, it's impossible.

True. But a damn good CB.

 

[Mors]

Rooney has scored his goals against mainly shit opposition, in friendlies and qualifiers. He has played against a lot of big teams in his time for England, and very rarely scored against them. Peter Crouch has a better goal scoring average for England (22 in 42), fuck rooney.