FRANKFURT, Germany _ He has some of Diego Maradona's dribbling skills, the imagination of Pele, the shooting skills of Bobby Charlton.

He also has the build of Roy Jones Jr.

Step forward Wayne Rooney, the man who could be England's World Cup savior.

England's hopes of winning soccer's biggest prize for the first time in 40 years rest on the shoulders of the 20-year-old player with explosive skills and a temper to match. Now that his broken foot has mended, England is desperate to get its best player back on the field.

Rooney makes his first World Cup start against Sweden on Tuesday having had a taste of soccer's biggest event as a substitute against Trinidad and Tobago. Don't take yours eyes off him.

He's no movie star in terms of looks. But some of the greatest names in the game have pinpointed the potential of a player who announced his arrival in the top flight at age 16 with one of the greatest goals ever seen in the English Premier League.

Rooney marked his league debut for Everton against an Arsenal team defending a 30-game unbeaten streak by collecting the ball 30 meters (yards) from goal, pushing it past a defender and unleashing a rising shot that flew past goalkeeper David Seaman so quickly he barely had time to react.

That was just a taste of things to come.

"He has the potential to be a legendary player," said Brazilian great Zico, now the coach of Japan. "Great players have the habit of always being able to rise to the big occasions. Like Pele used to, they puff out their chests and show the world who is in charge. I like Rooney's play very much."

In his first international championship as an 18-year-old at the 2004 European Championship, Rooney scored four goals in three games before a broken foot in the quarterfinals against Portugal forced him out. When he returned to action, he made his debut for Manchester United in the Champions League. In his first appearance in European soccer's biggest club tournament, Rooney had a hat trick in a 6-2 victory over Fenerbahce.

Page:

1

2

3