The annals of history are littered with a wealth of excellent footballers who failed to have the status of ‘great’ bestowed upon them due to their inability to land football’s biggest prize. Footballing canon, and Wayne Rooney it seems, denote that World Cup success is a mandatory requirement of ‘greatness’ – victory upon the world’s biggest stage is what separates Diego Maradona and Pele from the likes of Johan Cruyff and Eusebio. However, Rooney is currently considered to be one of the best footballers in the world. Regardless of whether he manages to lead England to World Cup victory, he is likely to be regarded as one of the finest players ever to don both the England and Manchester United jerseys. Should a failure to secure the Jules Rimet trophy preclude Rooney from entering the pantheon of all-time football greats?

On the back of a tremendous domestic season, in which he scooped both the PFA and FWA Player of the Year accolades, Wayne Rooney stands on the cusp of greatness. With the hopes and dreams of 50 million people resting upon his burly shoulders, Rooney recently stated that “If you want to be known and remembered in world football, I feel you would have to win a World Cup. Obviously there are players like George Best who are geniuses, but personally I feel I have to help England win a World Cup to be considered like that.”

Despite finishing the season with just the Carling Cup to tangibly demonstrate his side’s efforts, Rooney’s transformation from a talented player to a truly undisputed world-class one became apparent during 2009/10. A return of 34 goals from just 42 games emphatically dismissed any doubts over his ability to function as an out and out centre-forward whilst simultaneously helping to banish the spectre of the departed Cristiano Ronaldo. Still only 24 years of age, Rooney has already won three Premier League titles, two League Cups and one Champions League trophy (indeed, the FA Cup is the only major club prize Rooney has yet to win). At international level, Rooney has already racked up 60 caps, notching 25 goals in the process. The anticipated longevity of Rooney’s international career is such that many believe he will trump Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals for the English national team.

Since he first came to the attention of the widespread media with THAT goal against Arsenal, Rooney has consistently broken records. Rooney is the national side’s youngest ever goal scorer, as well as their youngest scorer in a European Championship tournament. More recently, the former Everton man recently broke the national’s side record for most goals scored in a World Cup qualifying campaign, having scored nine on the road to South Africa.

Records and statistics fail to indicate exactly how good the Croxteth-born forward is. Rooney is blessed with power, pace, vision and a wonderful eye for goal. Whilst many players are in possession of such attributes, Rooney’s ability to marry such traits with unwavering passion, determination and work-rate is what truly sets him apart from the rest.

Ultimately, the concept of ‘greatness’ is a subjective one, with many traditionalists believing that World Cup success distinguishes the excellent from the truly great. Still to reach the peak of his career, Rooney is primed to ensure that he can be defined as the latter. Will he be able to do so? Only time will tell.

Do you think Rooney needs to win the World Cup in order to achieve greatness?

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New Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has made the retention of star players like Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard his main priority after being confirmed in the Anfield hot-seat.

Hodgson was unveiled as Rafael Benitez's successor on a three-year contract on Thursday to bring to an end a four-week search for a new manager.

During that time the futures of Spain striker Torres and captain Gerrard have been the subject of intense speculation following suggestions that a lack of on-pitch success and off-field uncertainty at boardroom level could lead to one or both moving on this summer.

However, Hodgson is hoping use his first few days at the helm to persuade both players that their futures remain at Anfield.

"I don't think there's anybody here at the club who would welcome losing them. Certainly the fans wouldn't welcome losing them and us as a club I'm sure will do everything we can to make certain they stay with us," he told the club's official website.

"I'll be trying to persuade them that this is the place to be. I'll ask them to give me a chance give us a chance to improve on last season.

"They're all disappointed, I'm sure, after last season's results and I'll be doing my level best.

"It would be foolish to give guarantees that it's going to happen because I can't speak for the players themselves, but I'll be doing my best to keep them."

Asked about his own transfer plans and the type of budget he can expect to receive, the former Fulham boss explained:"One thing they made clear to me is we have to work within whatever restraints are in place at the club.

"But they've also made clear that if we were unfortunate to lose somebody then that money would be made available.

"I'm hoping that won't be the case because I don't want to lose anybody, but we haven't gone much further than that."

Meanwhile, Hodgson has admitted that his main task is to improve the fortunes of a club which lost 19 games in all competitions last season and finished a disappointing seventh in the final Premier League table.

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"For Liverpool the ambition always has to be to try and achieve a Champions League place and that's what we'll be trying to do as soon as possible," he continued.

"There's no point throwing out empty promises. Words are words and actions are actions and we have to show by our actions first of all on the training field and then at Anfield and other stadiums that we're ready and good enough.

"That's my task, to work with the players and ensure we are good enough."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato has stated his intention to remain with the Rossoneri for the foreseeable future and insists that he will not be joining his former manager Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea.

Have the Stamford Bridge outfit missed out on a great striking talent here?

Pato had this to say regarding his future:

“I have a contract with AC Milan until 2014 and I have every intention of respecting it.

“And in 10 years, I will return to Brazil to end my career at Internacional, the club which belongs to my heart.

“Pato progressed through the ranks at Internacional but only spent a year in the senior team before Milan snapped him up for 22million euros.” (The Daily Mail)

The Brazilian forward has been linked with a move to Chelsea ever since Ancelotti left the San Siro for west London, but the Blues have been fairly quiet over recent seasons regarding their transfers and list Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov as their biggest signings over the past few seasons.

At 20-years-old Pato is one of the most talented young players in world football and many Chelsea fans were originally excited by a potential move for him when the rumours were strong last summer. However, now that the club are being linked with names such as Kaka, Fernando Torres and Sergio Aguero many have forgotten the diminutive Brazilian forward. It would appear that he was also forgotten at an international level along with team-mate Ronaldinho as neither featured for Dunga’s pragmatic Brazil side during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

It would seem that the player’s future lies in Serie A, but I cannot help feel that perhaps Ancelotti should have pushed the club to acquire the young forward’s talent.

Pato certainly has a prolific record in front of goal scoring 41 goals in 87 for his current club Serie A, with 14 goals in 28 appearances during his time at Internacional in Brazil which gives him a career total of 55 goals in 115 first team appearances.

Some would argue that Pato would struggle in a physical Premier League and be knocked about quite easily by the defenders over here. It would also probably take a while to adapt his game as he is used to the pace and style of Serie A, but time is something he has on his side as he is so young. There are also many small skilful players who have managed to make an impact in the English top flight such as Gianfranco Zola, Cesc Fabregas and Luka Modric to name a few.

The 20-year-old could have been a more viable option than somebody like Torres, who Chelsea were linked to strongly before his injury in the World Cup final. The Blues already have a prolific centre-forward in Didier Drogba and I’m unsure whether or not the Spanish striker would complement the Ivorian’s talents. So, surely signing a supporting striker like Pato or Sergio Aguero would be a wiser move.

Do the fans think they have missed a trick by not signing Alexandre Pato, or do you agree with his critics who say he isn’t right for a physical Premier League?

Pato “The Duck”:

[youtube XpBIbKmOOho]

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Click on image below to see the Argentinean babes at the World Cup

Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that Manchester United do not need to spend big this summer to try and win back the Premier League title as the club’s youngsters have gained another years experience making the squad stronger as a whole.

Does the Old Trafford chief really have that much faith in his youngster, or is it just a case of having no money to spend on big name players?

Wesley Sneijder was just one of the world’s stars to be linked with a move to the Red Devils this summer, but Ferguson was quick to quash the rumours of such a deal taking place:

“I don’t know where those reports about Sneijder came from. How can anybody turn me down when I haven’t even made a bid?”

“I believe the squad is stronger than last season with the younger players having another year under their belts.” (Daily Mail)

The Old Trafford outfit certainly do have some promising young players amongst their ranks such as Darron Gibson, Federico Macheda, Chris Smalling, Javier Hernandez, Gabriel Obertan, Fabio da Silva and Rafael da Silva.

Rafael has already established himself in the Manchester United first team to an extent after making 28 appearances for the club last season and did a fantastic job against Franck Ribery during the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford (although everyone defended well against him during France’s dismal World Cup campaign), but Rafa was eventually sent off in that game albeit is slightly unfairly as the Bayern players were guilty fair amount of imaginary card waving to the referee throughout the game.

Gibson also impressed over last season and scored five goals in his 23 appearances from midfield and many Manchester United fans wanted to see more of the likes of Federico Macheda last season, particularly when Wayne Rooney was injured and Dimitar Berbatov continued to frustrate.

However, would a slight improvement on a handful of players be enough for Manchester United to try and reclaim the Premier League title?

Rooney did a lot to shoulder the burden after the departures of both Crisitano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez last season and it would be a huge ask for him to repeat that feat again next season. Even if he does manage to be as prolific the club still don’t have that goal scoring midfielder like Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have with Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas and Steven Gerrard respectively. These sorts of players are vital to share some of the burden, which a team like Chelsea have done quite successfully in previous seasons.

Even though Manchester United received a world-record £80m fee the Glazer family have run up debts at the club which BBC’s Panorama claimed last month to be around £1.1b after borrowing extensively against their shopping mall business, so I think the fact that United have no money to spend (despite what they claim) is more of a reason they cannot spend this summer than there young players being that much better after one more year’s experience.

With Manchester City continuing to spend and Chelsea looking to build on their title winning campaign should Manchester United fans be concerned that their club is not seeking to bolster their squad, or is their current squad good enough to win major honours?

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Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

In the aftermath of Manchester City’s 0-0 draw at the weekend, City boss Roberto Mancini was pleading for patience from both the board and the fans as he attempts to mould his expensively assembled squad into potential title challengers.

City looked disparate at times at White Hart Lane, particularly in the first half as England international and new City number one goalkeeper Joe Hart pulled off a string of magnificent saves to keep the scores level while big money debutants Yaya Toure and David Silva looked at odds with the pace of the Premier League.

Although Manchester City have spent big this offseason, spending big is not necessarily a guarantee of success; something that Manchester City fans will be all too aware of. Manchester City were the top spenders in 2008-09 and 2009-10, spending £113 million and £124 million on improving the squad only for the club to finish in 10th and 5th place in the league those two years.

Chelsea and Roman Abramovich have set the precedent for buying success after capturing a league double in 2004-05 and 2005-06 following huge transfer spending and chairman Sheihk Mansour is clearly attempting to emulate his Russian contemporary in trying to buy success. But what sets apart Chelsea’s millionaires from City’s is a semblance of stability that has been lacking at Eastlands.

Chelsea have a relatively settled core group of players that feature regularly for the club including goalkeeper Petr Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. All of these players have been at the club for at least four years and in that time have forged a strong understanding with their fellow teammates. Of all the players that featured on the weekend against Spurs, only Joe Hart, Micah Richards and Shaun Wright-Phillips have been at the club for longer than two seasons and Richards and Wright-Phillips are only fringe players at best for the club. For Manchester City to harbour any aspirations of a title challenge, Mancini needs to ensure the team form an understanding. And fast.

With all the comings and goings at Manchester City this season, Mancini’s man-management ability has been called into question which doesn’t bode well for the Italian if he wants to foster a strong team spirit. Mancini has clashed on many occasions with Craig Bellamy who yesterday sealed a season long loan at his home town club Cardiff City. Then there is Steven Ireland who is being forced to play in the reserves while being used as a makeweight in the James Milner transfer deal.

Mancini was the board’s choice to be Manchester City manager and therefore I expect the chairman to give the Italian more time to produce results on the pitch than his predecessor Mark Hughes. However, given the huge amount of money spent by Mancini, there is huge pressure on the Italian to deliver results at Eastlands or risk facing the axe from an expectant board looking for a return on their massive expenditure. I believe that 4th place is the minimum expectation for City this season and anything less would see Mancini out of a job.

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What do you think? Will the board have patience with Mancini or will they expect instant results from their spending and sack Mancini if he fails to deliver?

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If something works, then one should try the same formula again. When Manchester United signed Nani for just over £17m there was a collective groan across the Premier League of déjà vu. Here was a young Portugese winger signed from Sporting Lisbon, arriving with little more than a big reputation to live up to and a hefty price tag. There was pace, trickery and a hunger for goals and the limelight. It all sounded very familiar.

By the time Nani arrived at Old Trafford, it was 2007, United were champions and Cristiano Ronaldo was ripping teams singularly to shreds. No player has ever taken apart the league’s teams in such a regular and relentless fashion as Ronaldo did during his time in England, and this was to be, and will be throughout his Man Utd career, Nani’s biggest curse.

Nani has yet to hit any sort of heights. There must be a constant sense of frustration amongst the Man Utd fans that watch him on a regular basis; the occasions on which he has produced moments of brilliance make the rarity of them all the more infuriating. During his first two seasons Nani could use the shadow of Ronaldo’s wing as an excuse and a burden to offer reasons for the stuttering start to his time at United, but once Ronaldo made his move to Madrid, Nani was expected to fill the chasm that Ronaldo left.

Part of the pressure on Nani can’t be shifted; there are just unavoidable similarities such as their position, their nationality, their previous club etc. but there are times when I think that the younger of the two doesn’t help himself. When I see a mop of over-greased hair, standing wide-legged over a dead-ball, taking a deep breath of pantomime proportions, I wonder whether Nani is deliberately trying to remind everyone what they are missing out on. It is only a matter of seconds, when the ball thumps into the wall, rather than violently dip into the top corner, that we all come back to our senses and realise that Ronaldo did indeed leave these shores.

In his last three seasons at United, Ronaldo scored 91 goals in all competitions. Comparing anyone to that record is probably a bit unfair, a player could have an amazing record goal-scoring record and churn out scintillating performances and still not manage to reach that Ronaldo did.

If Nani hadn’t moved to Old Trafford then it is conceivable that he would have avoided any comparisons with Portugal’s captain, but turning down a move to Man Utd is easier said than done.

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Nani must now accept that this is the cross he must bear throughout his career, it has become inescapable. It is difficult to know how long Ferguson will persist with Nani, certainly he would have hoped that Nani had progressed more than he has done so far, thus becoming a more dependable player. Nani is a prime candidate when looking around the team to see who will take the goal-scoring burden off Wayne Rooney’s shoulders, and at some point he is going to have to deliver. If he doesn’t then he make have to look for fresh pastures, and he certainly won’t be commanding an £80m fee.

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Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was not too disappointed with his side's performance, despite the Reds stuttering to a goalless draw away to Utrecht in the Europa League.

Hodgson's men carved out few chances in the Netherlands, but the former Fulham manager was still content with the display.

He commented:"It was a good point because we knew it was going to be a tough game.

"I thought the problems we had, if we had any at all and the occasions when they created chances, were of our own making.

"We created some good chances ourselves and it wasn't a dull 0-0. There was activity at both ends of the field.

"Utrecht did well, they were determined, aggressive and committed, so we knew we had to be at our best defensively to keep them out and fortunately we did.

"I thought they crossing was very good and I think you could quite easily see today why Utrecht have such a good home record.

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"It would have been unfortunate for them had we won the game tonight, I think Utrecht would have felt hard done by.

"We are top of the group with four points, then Utrecht and Napoli with two and then Steaua Bucharest with one, so it is already quite close and the way it is panning out it will be close right until the end."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

One criticism repeatedly levelled at former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez during his final season at Anfield was his under-performing side’s over-reliance on Spanish star Fernando Torres and distinct lack of options in attack.

Torres only managed 24 league appearances last term following a succession of minor injuries and the Reds clearly struggled without their main source of goals and focal offensive threat. Without a recognised back-up striker, French youngster David N’Gog was given the unenviable task of filling in for one of the world’s deadliest strikers. In a side struggling for confidence and form, N’Gog managed just five league goals, as Liverpool finished the season in a dismal seventh place.

A 19-year-old N’Gog was signed from Paris Saint-Germain by former Valencia boss Benitez for £1m in 2008.  However question marks remained over the player’s calibre upon signing for the Reds after just one goal in 19 appearances during his debut season in Ligue 1. The France youth international featured intermittently during his first year on Merseyside with 19 appearances for Benitez’s side, scoring three goals.

Despite his relatively young age (now 21) and cheap price tag, N’Gog failed to convince the majority of fans of his credentials during his second season in England. N’Gog was clearly not ready to become a first-team regular in Torres’ absence but with no other option available, except the dire Andriy Voronin, the inexperienced frontman was thrown in at the deep end. A third-striker back-up role would have far more suited the No.24 last season and he cannot be blamed for Benitez’s failure to address his side’s attacking deficiencies.

Critics believe the Frenchman’s lack of composure and poor decision making continue to undermine his raw talent, a talent which has been clearly evident in the opening stages of this campaign. After expressing his desire to remain at the club over the summer, amid speculation regarding his future, N’Gog has delivered on the pitch with some impressive performances. The striker has already notched seven in eight this term and was at his clinical best with his first goals of the campaign, grabbing a brace against Rabotnicki Skopje in the Europa League qualifiers.

His manager was obviously impressed, with Hodgson commenting after the game:

“I think N’Gog has done well in the pre-season matches so far and he has worked very hard in the training sessions.

“I thought his target play, his general movement and his ability to keep the ball for us was also very good.”

It is however unlikely that N’Gog will develop into a world class talent. While the striker was struggling for goals in the French league at 18, former Red Michael Owen was scoring goals at a World Cup finals as the club’s top scorer at the same age. When compared to current talents of a similar age such as Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez, who has already played for his country 19 times, there is a clear difference in quality.

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Yet N’Gog remains a cheap purchase and a good impact player from the bench to have in reserve, especially with the current financial restraints in place at the club. It is clear N’Gog will never develop into the club’s main striker but should continue to contribute with at least 10 goals a season from the bench and as a starter when key players are rested. And should Hodgson decide to cash in on the player then a healthy profit is likely to be made.

N’Gog has shown rapid signs of improvements this season and he will continue to win over his doubters if he continues to get in amongst the goals. After narrowly failing to complete a move to West Brom this summer, it seems N’Gog is currently relishing his second chance at Anfield.

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On-loan midfielder Alexander Hleb has accused Birmingham City of playing 'hoof ball'.

The Belarus international is on loan at St Andrew's from Barcelona and counts Arsenal among his former clubs.

A calf injury has restricted him to just three Premier League appearances for the Blues.

But during those handful of games, the midfield playmaker has not been impressed with the way Alex McLeish's side plays.

"I'm not quite happy with the level of the team, but such things do happen. It's just life," he is quoted as saying by the Daily Star.

"I did tell the papers that Birmingham is not exactly Barcelona or Arsenal.

"In the recent Birmingham games there was a lot of struggle. They were constantly hoofing the long ball forward.

"Naturally I miss the combinational and creative football by Arsenal and Barca, but that was my own choice.

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"The Birmingham style is not the kind of game I dreamed about.

"It is good that now I have a lot of time on the pitch, but I want to play football of a different kind."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

With the error in judgement Jose Reina made last night against Wigan costing Liverpool a fifth straight victory, this may seem a fairly inappropriate time to say this; but the Anfield outfit cannot afford to let the 28 year-old Spaniard leave. It has been suggested in recent weeks that although Reina is not for sale in the January transfer window, he may be allowed to leave the club in the summer if he is unhappy with life at Anfield, with both Manchester United and Arsenal seeming very interested in the goalkeeper. With Reina himself reportedly unwilling to commit himself to Liverpool beyond the end of the season;

‘I will stay at Liverpool at least until the end of the season… I know there are rumours about me leaving but I want to make it clear that I have no intention of going back to Spain… Rafael Benitez was an essential person for this club and the reason I came to Liverpool.’

And Roy Hodgson reluctant to refute rumours regarding the Spanish goalkeeper’s exit, it seems it may be quite possible that Reina could walk out of Anfield in the summer. Allowing this to happen would be a complete disaster for the club in several ways;

First, Reina is a world-class goalkeeper, and barring the notable mistake against Arsenal on the opening weekend of the season, the 28 year-old has been magnificent for the Anfield outfit during his 5 years at the club. Winning the coveted ‘Premier League Golden Glove’, for the most clean sheets in a season in 3 of his 5 seasons at the club, and, in fact, keeping as many clean sheets as Petr Cech last season, missing out on the award purely on a clean sheet to games played ratio.

Second, there is a genuine paucity of world-class keepers at the moment, and if Liverpool have one, they would do well to keep hold of him. After a dismal start to the season both on and off the pitch, the club are on the up, and through the retention of the services of Reina, the club can push on, on both the domestic front and in Europe, and with their new investors, they should be looking to hang on to their prize assets. Along with Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, Reina is one of them. Letting the 28 year-old go would mean looking for a new, quality goalkeeper, and the ones that aren’t already tied down to big clubs are sparse in number to say the least.

Third, with Reina’s explicit wish not to return to Spain, it must surely signal either a move to Italy, or remaining where he is settled, in England. Behind every title winning side there is, generally, a great goalkeeper, and it can be argued that one of the only things missing at Arsenal is precisely that. Selling Reina to either Manchester United or Arsenal would give an enormous boost to potential rivals not only for the European places, but eventually also the title.

Reina is a top goalkeeper and has been an excellent servant of Liverpool FC. To allow him to walk out the door would lack foresight and could be detrimental to the club for years to come in more ways than one.

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Click on image below to see a gallery of Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest lady