Wayne wants to be a world-beater alongside Pele and Maradona

WHEN asked to name his World Cup heroes, the men he most wanted to emulate, there was never any chance of Wayne Rooney playing safe and going for Paul Gascoigne or Gary Lineker.

Instead, without blinking, he spoke of Maradona and Pele.

That’s the level the Manchester United striker is aiming for and where he wants to see himself referenced in the history of football; not just as a striker who enjoyed a decent World Cup but as a player who dominated a major tournament and won his country a trophy. Such lofty ambitions are laudable and make a mockery of suggestions that Rooney is unable to cope with the weight of expectation placed on him by both club and country; this is a player for whom the most intense pressure comes from within.

But as England prepare to take on Algeria in Cape Town tomorrow the crowds of doubters, who had to withdraw after Rooney scored 10 goals in the World Cup qualifying campaign, are gathering close once more.

Rooney goes into the Group C fixture having failed to score in his last seven international matches and on the back of a disappointing individual and team display against the United States, which England drew 1-1.

The question England must grapple with is whether Rooney’s current dip in form is down to his recovery from injury after twisting his ankle playing for Manchester United in the Champions League against Bayern Munich late in the season or whether manager Fabio Capello’s tactics and team selection is to blame. Such is Rooney’s desperation and determination to succeed that he admits he too has been struggling with that conundrum, staying up late after the USA match to pore over a DVD of the match and analyse where he went wrong.

“There were moments when I did some good things against the USA, and moments when I would have liked to get on the ball more but I never,” he said. “There were glimpses. But I know I can play better and hope to put that right. When you get injured, you lose your match sharpness and at this level I need to score goals. But I am feeling good now, I feel I have reached maximum fitness.”

Rooney’s dedication is the reason it would be foolish to write him off against Algeria but whether he can dominate a World Cup in the fashion of some of the greats of the past remains a more difficult question given England’s lack of form and Capello’s reluctance to play him in his best role as a lone central striker.

Rooney smiled ruefully when asked if he would be happier playing up front on his own, aware of the consequences if he answered too honestly, but it is obvious the United striker produces his best form when played centrally and at some stage England must surely trial a system that sees Rooney up front and Steven Gerrard playing off him.

Ironically, Emile Heskey was possibly England’s most impressive player against the States, making Capello’s decision all the tougher, but if Rooney is to achieve his place in history you sense now is the time for his manager to be bold.

By his own admission it took the striker time to recover sharpness after that injury in Munich but Rooney, who says he felt sluggish during England’s pre-tournament camp in Austria, now believes he is ready to reproduce his best form at the optimum moment. I say optimum because the real test of any World Cup hero comes in the knockout stages when the stakes are doubled, the tension cranked up and the drama intense; and despite their lack of cohesion England will surely make it there if they can win in Cape Town tomorrow.

So, with a little help from his manager and a contribution from under-performing teammates such as Frank Lampard, there is still time for Rooney to achieve his ambition of joining the pantheon of greats.

“What Maradona did and Pele in three World Cup is what inspires me,” he insisted when asked about his World Cup heroes. “They are the two standout players to take the World Cup by the scruff of the neck and virtually win it single-handed. You look at those two and if you can do half of what they achieved, that would be great.”