Live from Germany
England calm Rooney hopes, Ronaldo fit again
England tried to temper pre-World Cup optimism on Tuesday that Wayne Rooney had made a rapid recovery from injury, while reigning champions Brazil said striker Ronaldo was sure to line up in their first match.
English forward Wayne Rooney trains alone at Mittelbergstadion in Buhlertal, 06 June 2006, ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2006. England's opening game in Group B of the tournament will be against Paraguay 10 June in Frankfurt. Rooney worked out separately from his England teammates at their idyllic Black Forest training camp amid a surge of optimism that he could be fit for the World Cup.
Pele and Diego Maradona, arguably the two best players in the history of football, will be the stars of the opening ceremony in Munich on Friday immediately before host nation Germany take on Costa Rica in the first match, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.
The eyes of England are on the broken foot bone of Rooney, the 20-year-old Manchester United striker and potentially his team's most influential player, after signs he may be able to play some part in his country's opening matches just weeks after being on crutches.
Brazil's football legend Pele applauds as he stands next to the trophy, 09 December 2005 in Leipzig, during the final draw ceremony of the 2006 World Cup running from 09 June to 09 July 2006 in Germany. The 32 nations competing in next year's finals will learn their first-round opponents when the draw is made in a star-studded ceremony. AFP PHOTO FRANCK FIFE
Pictures of Rooney launching into the air for a scissor-kick with his injured right foot dominated front pages in Britain, but England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson pleaded for calm until the player has an all-important scan on Wednesday.
A decision on whether Rooney will stay in the England camp, or be replaced before FIFA's June 9 deadline, will be taken afterwards.
"I think there's been so much said about Rooney, let's wait until tomorrow afternoon or Thursday morning," Eriksson said after his players had their first training session at their picturesque base in Baden-Baden.
Ronnie gives blister doubt the boot
Ronaldo, who needs two goals in this World Cup to equal the 14-goal tournament record held by Gerd Muller of West Germany, will be fit to face Croatia in Brazil's Group F opener on June 13, team doctors said.
Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazario (C) celebrates his goal with teammate Adriano (R) as New Zeland's Ivan Vicelich reacts during a friendly match with New Zeland, 04 June 2006, at the Geneve stadium, in Switzerland. Brazil's World Cup squad is in Switzerland for a two week training camp before heading to Germany ahead of the June 9-July 9 football showpiece. AFP PHOTO/ANTONIO SCORZA
He has complained of pains and blisters on his feet and attributed them to new boots, so the Brazilian medical staff asked his club Real Madrid to send several pairs of his normal boots.
"The healing process of the blisters is virtually complete," said Brazil team doctor Jose Luis Runco. "Ronaldo won't have any more problems."
Italy's troubled preparations received a boost when it was confirmed defender Gianluca Zambrotta may only miss one match after it had been feared he could have to pull out of the competition altogether.
Another defender Alessandro Nesta is also uncertain for Italy's opening tie against Ghana as Italy struggle to prepare against the backdrop of a wide-ranging investigation into match-fixing into some top Italian clubs.
FIFA said Friday's opening ceremony would be a celebration of past winners of football's biggest prize, including all 22 players from the 1974 final in Munich in which West Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1.
Pele will carry the trophy into the futuristic Munich stadium with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer.