’86 England v Poland, 3-0

England had to endure a torrid start in Mexico when Ray Wilkins picked a suspension and Bryan Robson a tournament-ending injury. They went into the final group game with Poland in need of a result and, having failed to score against Portugal and Morocco, it looked as though Bobby Robson might drop Everton striker Gary Lineker. But Bobby Robson stuck to his guns and kept faith with Lineker, who duly tore Poland apart with a devastating hat-trick. The striker’s third after just 34 exhilarating minutes sent England’s fans into raptures in Monterrey.

’66 England v W Germany, 4-2

Famous for the iconic image of Bobby Moore lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy, Kenneth Wolstenholme’s classic commentary and Tofik Bakhramov’s controversial decision, the final at Wembley was a match which lived up to its billing. Alf Ramsey’s team fought back from an early goal and were leading 2-1 when the West Germans equalised in the dying minutes.  Cue extra-time and ‘that goal’. Having lost his marker with a neat turn, Geoff Hurst’s shot from the edge of the six-yard box bounced off the underside of the bar and was adjudged to have crossed the line. Hurst later sealed his hat-trick to make England’s World Cup triumph certain.

’54 England v Belgium, 4-4

With an average of more than 5 goals a game, the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland is the highest-scoring World Cup in history, and is likely to remain so. Famously, in the group stages West Germany were soundly beaten 8-3 by Hungary’s ‘Golden Team’ that boasted the prolific Sandor Kocsis and the great Ferenc Puskas, only to then go on to defeat the Hungarians 3-2 in the final. The Three Lions were left stunned when Belgium came back to draw after Nat Lofthouse and Ivor Broadis had helped England to an ostensibly unassailable 3-1 lead. A last-second own goal from Portsmouth defender Jimmy Dickinson put paid to England’s hopes of coming away with all two points and levelled the scores at 4-4. England were unfortunately knocked out in the quarter finals by Uruguay, but the group match against Belgium remains the highest-scoring draw in World Cup history and one of number of astonishing matches in a tournament famous for great comebacks.

An integral part of Alf Ramsey’s World Cup-winning side, hatrick-hero Geoff Hurst is perhaps the most famous England number ten. Hurst’s second goal in the final against West Germany forms part of English football fans’ collective consciousness. Remarkably, the World Cup Final was only Hurst’s eighth cap, and the West Ham striker would go on to earn 49 caps for England, scoring 24 goals. He is fondly remembered by England and West Ham fans for his industriousness and potent aerial ability.

Gary Lineker might not be remembered for his aerial ability, but the former Tottenham and Everton striker’s performances at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups secured his place in the hearts of England fans. Lineker remains the Three Lions’ record World Cup goalscorer, with 10 goals in 12 finals appearances, including a remarkable – and vital – 37-minute hat-trick against Poland.

Although Hurst and Lineker were both prolific and potent strikers, they were not creative number tens in the same way as Bergkamp or Zola. In Wayne Rooney, England manager Fabio Capello has at his disposal a player more than happy to be either goal poacher or goal maker. The pugnacious forward weighed in 34 goals in all competitions for Manchester United this season. More of England’s World Cup goals have been scored by players wearing ten than any other shirt number, and England fans will hope that Rooney can reproduce his glittering club form and emulate the achievements of Lineker and Hurst in South Africa.

I am not involved within professional football; I personally work selling external doors; I also offer a cheap mobile calls service and sell cheap hotel deals.

England have beaten Croatia in their own back yard, four goals to one. It was an awesome performance with players like Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard running the midfield. The Croatian team have been somewhat of a bogey team for England and it sure felt good to lay that ghost to rest with a comprehensive four - one win.

Capello has targeted the strengths of England, the Premier League is the best league in the world and the pace of the games is quite incredible. For some reason previous England teams played a rather slow continental type game, why? It really makes no sense at all. The manager is now playing a pressing game and has the players laying their lives, as the saying goes, on the line for the team.

The English press and supporters have been very critical of the team over the last few years, quite rightly so as they have not been playing anywhere to the levels that they should be. The team were accused of lacking bottle, lacking character and lacking in spirit. This was just not acceptable and hopefully has changed for good.

If somehow the team are able to win the world cup the players will become instant heroes, heroes for life. Go for it England - believe in yourselves and bring the trophy home for our wonderful country.

Players like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Theo Walcott and Ashley Young will be the catalyst to victory in South Africa, I am convinced about it.

Think about some of the biggest sporting rivalries in history.There was Muhammad Ali duking it out with Joe Frazier, Greg Norman taking on Nick Faldo on the golf course and Chris Evert battling Martina Navratilova on the tennis court.  India and Pakistan still have a healthy cricket rivalry going on.  There’s even been a classic rivalry in the world of chess with Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov battling it out in several matches over the years.

But can any of these admittedly classic face-offs hold a candle to the colossal confrontation that occurs whenever the Red Devils of Manchester United clash with the Liverpool Reds?Let’s have a quick look at why this great football rivalry exists, and why it continues

1. The Northwest Derby – Matchups between the two clubs are often referred to using this moniker.  Liverpool and Manchester (the cities) have maintained a healthy competition since industrial times, and that sense of one-upmanship has apparently spilled over into the football world.

2. “The Greatest English Football Club” – Manchester United and Liverpool both lay claim to the title of The Greatest English Football Club.  A similar number of trophies have been won by each club, and they are also the two most successful English teams in European competition.

3. Fans and Money – The two clubs are widely-supported throughout the world and boast some of the most devoted fans in any sport.Also, they are two of the biggest-earning clubs in the world.

4.  Player Haters – As with a lot of football clubs, the fans can be downright hostile to each other sometimes.  With Liverpool and Man U, though, the hostility spills over to the players too occasionally.Wayne Rooney, United striker, has publicly stated how much he hated Liverpool FC when he was growing up.Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, on the other hand, once told a television crew that even though he exchanges shirts regularly with opposing players, he would never have a Man U shirt in his house.

5. Transfers? Are You Kidding Me? – No player has been directly transferred between the two clubs since 1964; the few footballers who have played for both clubs always played in a different city in between. As recently as 2007, United left-back Gabriel Heinze expressed a desire to move to Liverpool, and a bid was made, but Man U rejected the bid and stated that Heinze would only join a foreign club if he chose to leave – all due to the age old rivalry.

The way these clubs are so passionate about their long-standing rivalry is inspiring, in a way.I’m sure some people don’t understand how others can get so worked up about a game, and think the whole rigamarole is just silly.So, are you still wondering who’s the best club in football?  That’s easy.  Everyone knows it’s Spurs.

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