Who is England’s best player? At least nine out of ten people would surely answer Wayne Rooney and it is very hard to make a case for England at the World Cup 2010 without their star man. If any evidence was needed that Rooney has improved yet again this season it is his two headed goals against AC Milan as heading was previously his weakest point.

No surprise really, that so many people are backing Wayne Rooney to be the World Cup Golden Boot. A good tournament for Wayne Rooney means a good tournament for England yet the Wayne Rooney Golden Boot Odds are around three times as high as the England World Cup Odds. Which bet would you make at this stage?

Wayne Rooney already has big tournament experience despite still being relatively young, he burst onto the International scene with a great performance at Euro 2004 but he got injured against Portugal and England and ended up going out. At the 2006 World Cup things were looking good for England until, you guessed it, Wayne Rooney got sent off against old friends Portugal and England crashed and burned. It is simply as if England cannot win without the Man Utd striker.

Of course England have plenty of other good players but they are very much the foundations that allow Wayne Rooney to express himself. The likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and even Aaron Lennon if he plays will all be expected to give the ball to Rooney as much as possible and so strong is Wayne Rooney’s influence that his striker partner, who remains unknown, will probably be picked on the basis of who brings out the best in Wayne Rooney.