Rooney announces international retirement

England's record goalscorer Wayne Rooney announced on Wednesday he is retiring from international football with immediate effect, despite England manager Gareth Southgate telling him he had earned a recall.

The 31-year-old -- scorer of 53 goals in 119 appearances for his country -- told Southgate of his decision during a phone conversation.

"Having already thought long and hard, I told Gareth that I had now decided to retire for good from international football," said Rooney in a statement sent to Press Association Sport.