25 Mar 2010

German football legend says Rooney best player in world

9:39 am on 25 March 2010

Footballer Wayne Rooney's brilliant form this season could lead England all the way to victory in the World Cup final in July, according to German legend Franz Beckenbauer.

Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup with West Germany as both a player and coach, says that although Rooney was universally recognised as a "brilliant player" before this season, he had taken his game to new heights.

He says Rooney is doing an absolutely fantastic job for Manchester United and conceded Bayern Munich, the club he used to coach, will fear Rooney when they play United in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Beckenbauer says England along with Spain, Brazil and Argentina, will go into South Africa as favourites and says Rooney and Argentina's Lionel Messi are the best players in the world at the moment.

Bayern host United in the Champions League quarter-finals first leg next Wednesday (NZ time) with the return leg on April the 7th.