Wayne Rooney shows golden touch on 100th cap as England beat Slovenia in Euro 2016 qualifier Yet this was an evening for saluting Rooney, for chronicling his journey to 100 caps. Before a first half devoid of merit, the crowd were entertained by an emotional moment for Rooney. On his special night, Rooney led the team out holding his younger son in his left arm, the one-year-old sporting a shirt declaring "Klay 10" while five-year-old Kai wore a shirt emblazoned with "Rooney 100." As the fireworks went off to salute England's latest centurion, Klay looked over his father's shoulder towards the plumes of smoke. A smiling Rooney was playing the role of father, captain and recipient of a precious award from a distinguished guest. Walking from the tunnel was Charlton. Looking down from the smart seats was Peter Shilton, standing next to Lady Charlton. Shilton's appearance record of 125 is also within Rooney's range. The England record books will belong one day to Rooney but not yet the glory, probably never. Charlton has won a World Cup here, scored in a semi-final here, even being applauded by the vanquished Portuguese in that game. Rooney, a player who has scored only once in three World Cups, knows he cannot compare with a true great of the English game. Charlton strode towards the field he graced so nobly, a pitch sadly disfigured by recent grid-iron scrimmaging. Rooney strolled towards him, still carrying Klay, still holding Kai's hand. He tenderly placed Klay down on the mottled surface, shook Charlton's hand and received a cap lovingly shaped, cut, stitched and wrapped by ladies at Toye, Kenning and Spencer's premises at Regalia House in Bedworth. As Rooney held the golden cap up for the photographers to record the historic moment, Klay crawled behind him. Not the first Rooney to hide from the cameras, Klay sat down on the red carpet behind his father's legs, and took no part in the photo-shoot. Rooney's wife, Coleen, stood in the tunnel, smiling at the family scene unfolding in such a famous venue. Rooney glanced at the cap, the handiwork of some remarkable craftswomen. Their pride in their beautiful cloth-and-brocaded work ran deep, as deep as Rooney's passion for representing England. Two fans, wearing Sleepy masks in a dig at Raheem Sterling, held up a banner reading: "Rooney - never tired - 100 not out." This was harsh on Sterling, whose move to the right in the second half helped stretch Slovenia. "It was a wonderful evening for him, having the cap presented by Sir Bobby Charlton, very special,"" said Roy Hodgson. To give a good performance and then cap that with a goal was excellent. Wayne's very important to me as an England manager and to English football. It was fitting that he got reward. When it was all about him, he scored the all-important goal and led England to victory. He's an important person, taking the captaincy very seriously and pouring all that passion into the captaincy and into his football. It has been an England career of some stunning moments, some brilliant goals, and important ones like here, but too frequently a chronicle in disappointment. Even as Rooney gathered all these goals and caps, the impact on a tournament, barring Euro 2004, was modest to minimal. The impoverished nature of the first half against stifling Slovenians gave supporters time to reflect on his 100 caps. The youngest of England's nine centurions at 29 years and 22 days, Rooney's first senior association with the Three Lions had begun on Feb 12, 2003 on the other side of London, at Upton Park, slightly ignominiously with a friendly defeat to Australia. The subsequent odyssey has taken him from Amsterdam to Zagreb, from the banks of the Bosphorus to the Amazon jungle, from the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, setting for one of his most dynamic displays against Turkey, to the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, the scene of arguably his greatest performance, scoring twice in the 4-2 Euro 2004 victory over Croatia. A man of occasional moods, formidable and fractious, Rooney has bewitched England fans in Almaty and fallen out with them in Cape Town. His occasional volatility has surfaced from the Bernabeu to Belfast, being substituted before he was sent off, and those deserved dismissals in Gelsenkirchen and Podgorica. He has scored from Minsk to Moscow, in the two most famous stadia in the world, Maracana and Wembley. As Rooney had been at pains to emphasise during all the paeans to his 100 caps, the three points were the most important number of the night. Rooney was keen to get on with the real show, getting at Slovenia, robust opponents. Hodgson's diamond system hardly seemed to help Rooney as England were too narrow, too cramped in the middle where the pitch was at its worst. Rooney was far sharper in the second half, demonstrating greater urgency. After 50 minutes, he worked some room but Bostjan Cesar blocked his shot. Rooney reacted strongly and quickly to the ignominy of Henderson's own goal after 57 minutes. Running direct at Slovenia's box within two minutes, Rooney was tripped by Cesar. He took responsibility for the penalty, propelling it past Samir Handanovic. Welbeck finished Slovenia off but the night, the headlines and another step towards the records of Charlton and Shilton belonged to Rooney.