2010 FIFA World Cup: Rooney Wants To Prove Himself

Back home he is considered to be the best player in the Premier League, but according to Wayne Rooney he has yet to prove himself on the world stage.

The Manchester United striker got his first taste of World Cup football four years ago, but his efforts in Germany were hampered by the foot injury he picked up during the domestic season.

As any England fan will tell you, that campaign ended in ignominy for Rooney, who was sent off during the side's quarter final tie with Portugal.

Now though, the player has his eyes on glory and, after a disappointing performance in the opener against the USA, he has backed himself to shine against Algeria.

Rooney added that the tournament would offer him a great chance for both him and England to prove themselves at international level and if this didn't happen he'd be disappointed.

He said: "What drives me on is trying to win for England and trying to do well at world level. That's a great driving force for any player."

There's no doubt England fans will be backing Rooney to score against Algerian side who looked fragile against Slovenia in their opening group game, and the World Cup betting makes him odds on to hit the back of the net.

Faouzi Chaouchi, the Algerian goalkeeper, looked suspect as he failed to keep out Robert Koren's tame strike ten minutes from time and this fact will have been noted by England's strikers.

Of course, the Three Lions had similar problems in their first game of the tournament, but the side will still be confident of dispatching the African side are ranked 30th in the world.

If they don't manage to take all three points, Fabio Capello's men will be facing the very real prospect of an early exit from a tournament many had tipped them to win.