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5 of Wayne Rooney’s best England goals

5 of Wayne Rooney’s best England goals
© Reuters
Rooney scored a record 53 England goals.

Wayne Rooney is poised to make a farewell appearance for England in the friendly against the United States on November 15.

Here Press Association Sport looks at five of his best goals in the national jersey.

England 2 Denmark 3 (November 16, 2003)

Soccer – International Friendly Match – England v Denmark – Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester
Rooney scores for England against Denmark at Old Trafford (Martin Rickett/PA)

Rooney, then an 18-year-old in his first spell at Everton, gave a glimpse of his potential with a fine strike against the Danes at Old Trafford, which would become his home ground with Manchester United between 2004 and 2017. The striker burst from the halfway line and took advantage of a fortuitous deflection off a Denmark player, before thundering a shot in off the underside
of the crossbar from 20 yards.

Croatia 2 England 4 (June 21, 2004)

Soccer – Euro 2004 – Group B – England v Croatia – Estadio de Luz, Lisbon
Wayne Rooney was sensational at Euro 2004 (Nick Potts/PA)

England needed just a draw to qualify for the second round at the European Championship, but they went behind to Niko Kovac’s early strike. Paul Scholes equalised and Rooney then swung the game beyond Croatia with a 25-yard drive.

England 3 Argentina 2 (November 12, 2005)

Soccer – Friendly International – Argentina v England – Stade de Geneve
Rooney celebrates scoring against Argentina (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Rooney was the best player on the park in what was one of the most fiercely-contested and enthralling friendlies in living memory. The then 20-year-old harassed the Argentina defence all night and got the goal he deserved in the 38th minute when he latched on to David Beckham’s flick-on and slotted the ball into the corner to equalise Hernan Crespo’s opener.

England 1 Ukraine 0 (June 19, 2012)

Soccer – UEFA Euro 2012 – Group D – England v Ukraine – Donbass Arena
Rooney wheels away after his goal against co-hosts Ukraine at Euro 2012 (Anthony Devlin/PA)

After sitting out the first two matches of Euro 2012 due to suspension, Rooney delivered on his return, bundling home at the back post to send England through to the second round.

Brazil 2 England 2 (June 2, 2013)

Soccer – International Friendly – Brazil v England – Maracana Stadium
Rooney is congratulated by his team-mates after his goal against Brazil in Rio

England were given the honour of being the first national team to visit the newly-rebuilt Maracana in Rio de Janeiro and Rooney scored a goal worthy of the occasion. With the score at 1-1, Rooney picked the ball up in the Brazil half and strolled towards goal before unleashing a 25-yard drive that flew right into the top corner.

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