権利 time for Rooney to join wizards' world

Rooney is the juggler, the sword swallower and the trick cyclist rolled into one, but he shows no 勧める to take the スポットライト by himself.

の中で his many question-殺人，大当り answers was this little 警告: 'One man isn't going to 勝利，勝つ the Cup.'

Not true, 現実に. Think Pele, Diego Maradona or Zinedine Zidane, whose return to glorious goal-得点する／非難する／２０ing form for フラン against Spain on Tuesday night was one of the images of this World Cup.

Zidane's 幸福感 after the game stemmed from his 発見 that he can still turn a trick or two on this brightest 行う／開催する／段階, even at 34.

Rooney watched the old maestro turn 支援する the years and made mental 公式文書，認めるs. He said yesterday: 'I thought he was brilliant. Zidane and Ronaldo have had some 批評 at the World Cup, which I think has been embarrassing because they're both world-class players. To see what Ronaldo did yesterday was unbelievable and I'm really happy for him.'

The fellowship of wizards is strong. But Rooney has yet to fully join that circle. Ronaldo has a 記録，記録的な／記録する 15 World Cup goals. Rooney, in his first tournament, has 非，不，無. Saturday brings his first 広大な／多数の／重要な 実験（する） as a 可能性のある World Cup legend.

A ４半期/4分の1-final against Portugal, the country that （打撃，刑罰などを）与えるd his first metatarsal breakage, 支援する at Euro 2004.

Sven Goran Eriksson has been 餓死するd of credit here in the 黒人／ボイコット Forest so let's at least 賞賛する him for 支援 Rooney's 回復 with the certainty of a punter who has already seen the Derby 勝利者 flash past the 地位，任命する in a dream.

'As things stand, he can't even be called the greatest Manchester 部隊d player'

By 急ぐing 今後 his first 外見 to the group 行う／開催する／段階 game against Trinidad and Tobago, Eriksson made sure the little saviour would be approaching 頂点（に達する） fitness by the quarterfinal 段階.

There were flashes of Rooney's bustling brilliance against Ecuador. Against Portugal in Gelsenkirchen, he will probably be asked to carry the spear alone in 前線 of a five-man midfield 錨，総合司会者d by Owen Hargreaves.

Let's be （疑いを）晴らす what we're talking about. Rooney is better qualified to join Zidane in the pantheon than any Englishman since Paul Gascoigne, a doomed 惑星 who left only a 簡潔な／要約する vapour 追跡する in our skies.

In all discussions about 広大な／多数の／重要な English players, the majesty of Sir Bobby Charlton's 記録，記録的な／記録する is often overlooked. Scandalously so. Charlton was a World and European Cup-winning 全世界の icon who landed a 記録，記録的な／記録する 49 England goals.

Never mind Rooney's international standing. As things stand, he can't even be called the greatest Manchester 部隊d player. Instead he is 均衡を保った at one of those pouting moments in history when something 抱擁する is about to start.

At 20 he finds himself in the last eight of a World Cup, jostling with foreign idols. Ronaldo, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Andriy Shevchenko, Michael Ballack, Lionel Messi, Francesco Totti and Kaka are all still standing.

They are the company he 捜し出すs to keep.

These 指名するs doubtless float across his thoughts when the England fans lovingly 詠唱する his 指名する.

The Messiah-syndrome would hang ひどく on a young 星／主役にする more attuned to public opinion. But the world of comment and 審議 is an unexplored continent to England's most 自然に-gifted player. He doesn't want to go there. The best minder he has is the 軍隊 field that keeps unwanted enquiries at bay.

He 会談 in public from time to time because there is a rota of England players. It goes with the 職業. But there'll probably always be a perspex 審査する between our domain and his.

He would neither 確認する nor 否定する that he returned to the （軍の）野営地，陣営 after his final ざっと目を通す 宣言するing: 'The big man is 支援する in town.' He did laugh, though, which was as good as 確定／確認.

That smile wiped away our mental image of him blanching on the turf of Stamford 橋（渡しをする）. The 苦痛 that 発射 through his 団体／死体 as his 神経s sent out the message that a bone in his foot had 割れ目d was translated as 集まり panic on the 直面するs of England fans.

His grin under 尋問 also brought our minds 一連の会議、交渉／完成する to the happiness of Zidane as he was 襲う by team-mates and staff as Les Bleus went through. It 解任するd Ronaldo's winning smile in Dortmund 同様に.

So much 期待 has been 捨てるd at Rooney's door that you can lose sight of his 目的 in our blighted world.

Like Zidane, he is a bringer of joy, an 芸能人, a breaker of 条約s. Though they work at opposite ends of the age 規模, their 機能（する）／行事 is the same.

It just happens that Zidane is happy still to play some part in an erratic 味方する while Rooney has tens of millions of English folk begging him to lead them out of 不明瞭.

If anyone can, it's him.