Sir Bobby Charlton's record surpassed by Wayne Rooney

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Two VERY different icons: As Wayne Rooney breaks Bobby Charlton's England goal record, a look at their lives reveals how Britain has changed in the past 50 years 

History was made as Wayne Rooney became England's most prolific goal scorer, beating the long-standing record set by Sir Bobby Charlton.

 Thanks to his late penalty against Switzerland, Rooney, at 29, stands at the very peak of UK's national game with more than a century of international caps and an unprecedented half-century of goals. After the match, Sir Bobby was typically gracious about Rooney's achievement. Having said he was 'absolutely delighted' the record had passed to another player from 'my beloved club' of Manchester United, he told Rooney: 'You will go on scoring for your club and country for a long time to come.' 

Some will say Wayne Rooney is the kind of hero our libertarian age deserves: rolling in money and flash cars, unfaithful to his wife - and with prostitutes to boot - and not averse to yelling four-letter words into pitch-side cameras.

 Yet there is another side to this story, for Rooney's journey to the summit is a tribute to his remarkable footballing ability, resilience and ambition - qualities he shares with Sir Bobby, 77.