He may never have won the World Cup or the European Championships with England, but Wayne Rooney has still enjoyed a fantastic international career.The 31-year-old, who announced his international retirement earlier today, walks away as England’s all-time leading goalscorer - a remarkable feat that deserves credit.Rooney scored a hugely impressive 53 goals in 119 appearances for his country. Seven more appearances and he would have surpassed Peter Shilton as the player with the most England caps; however, the Everton striker has decided now is the right time to call it a day.“It is a really tough decision and one I have discussed with my family, my manager at Everton and those closest to me,” Rooney revealed in a statement.“Playing for England has always been special to me. Every time I was selected as a player or captain was a real privilege and I thank everyone who helped me. But I believe now is the time to bow out.”

Rooney wants to focus on Everton

Rooney wants to focus solely on Everton, despite the fact Gareth Southgate was planning to include him in his squad for the upcoming matches against Malta and Slovakia.

The former Manchester United star has impressed during the opening weeks of the 2017-18 campaign, scoring against both Stoke City and Manchester City are returning to Goodison Park.

The idea of a Rooney recall split fans

The idea of Southgate recalling Rooney certainly divided opinion among England supporters.

While some fans could see the benefits of such a move, others felt it was all a bit pointless.

Rooney has flattered to deceive, on the whole, for England over recent years and many fans believe the forward has made the right call.

Gary Lineker shuts down Rooney's haters

However, Rooney’s decision to retire has led his haters to put the boot in, rather unnecessarily, via social media.

This has sparked a passionate reaction from Gary Lineker, third on the list of England’s all-time leading goalscorers, on Twitter.

The Match of the Day host wrote: “So many buffoons denouncing @WayneRooney's international career. You have no idea how good he is or how hard it is. Stick to playing FIFA.”

What a burn.

Reaction to Lineker's tweet

Here’s how the rest of Twitter reacted to Lineker’s tweet…

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