He joked that when Rooney does break the record he can pay back the £40 the Man Utd striker owes him.
Rooney is set to eclipse the 49 goals Charlton notched for his country, with the Manchester United skipper now sitting on 46 following his brace against Scotland.
Gazza (talking to the Sun): "I saw him play as a kid at Under-14 level. He scored twice and the second goal was incredible. So I went into the dressing room and said to him, 'Well done mate, that was great goal. You're going to be a great player.'
"I had £40 on me and was always giving money to apprentices because they didn't earn much, I asked 'Anyone want this money?' Rooney said 'I'll have it' and joked, "I'm going to have a pint later' and I thought 'you're going to make it."