Can Rashford emulate these five record-breaking England goalscorers?
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If he nets against minnows Malta at Wembley on Saturday evening, England prodigy Marcus Rashford will be the Three Lions’ youngest ever goalscorer in a World Cup Qualifier.
So, we’ve dug through the archives to find five youthful England heroes of yesteryear who can inspire the Manchester United man to achieve yet another special feat in his fledgling career.
Tommy Lawton: The spot-kick hero
It’s 22 October 1938. The first issue of the Beano has just gone on sale, Test Cricket has recently hit the TV screens of the super rich and England are 1-0 down at Cardiff’s grand old Ninian Park ground, with the chance to equalise from the penalty spot.
The duty fell on Everton’s prolific 19-year-old Tommy Lawton, who netted past Wales keeper Roy John to make him England’s youngest ever penalty scorer – a record which still stands to this day. The Three Lions lost 4-2 on the day, but Lawton’s little slice of history lives on.
Michael Owen: The 20th-century boy
The lightning-quick teenager went down in the history books as England’s youngest goalscorer of the 20th century, thanks to his May 1998 winner against Morocco, in front of 80,000 fans in Casablanca.
Having broken records as the most youthful England player of the century when he came on against Chile aged 18 years and 59 days, Owen’s second record-breaking feat showcased his electric pace and lightning quick finish, as he slotted home the only goal of the game against Henri Michel’s men.
Wayne Rooney: The Scouse supremo
It was obvious from the very beginning that England fans were seeing the real deal when the 17-year-old from Croxteth burst onto the scene. And on a warm September day in 2003, he produced a stunning strike against Macedonia to become the Three Lions’ youngest ever goalscorer.
Emile Heskey’s inch-perfect knockdown found the young Evertonian on the edge of the box, and Rooney let fly with a thunderous strike, before racing over to the loyal travelling support, arms outstretched. 13 years and 52 goals later, the legendary Liverpudlian is still doing the same.
Dele Alli: Spurred on to success
From Carlisle to Cornwall, youngsters across England have dreamed of netting their first goal at Wembley, and we imagine that daydream usually looks something like Dele Alli’s first Three Lions goal, against France in November 2015.
A spectacular 25-yarder which left Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris stranded, against two-time European champions, in front of over 70,000 fans. Safe to say the Ladbrokes News team were a tad envious of the 19-year-old’s feats.
Theo Walcott: The hat-trick hero
After back-to-back wins over England, Croatia may have headed into the September 2008 meeting in Zagreb in confident mood. But a certain 19-year-old Gunner stunned the home fans with a record-shattering hat-trick.
On his first senior start for Fabio Capello’s charges, the Arsenal man lashed home a trio of neatly-taken chances, with his second of the night an inch-perfect effort which pinged into the far corner of the net.
His third secured his place in history as England’s youngest ever hat-trick scorer, and saw the visiting fans celebrate long into the night.
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