England play down Rooney hopes but Ronaldo is fit again
England tried to temper pre-World Cup optimism 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.
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.
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 said so much 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.
"I think he looks very good. I don't really have any other news about him. Let's wait as, very soon, we will know what is going to happen about him."
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.
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 and the blisters is virtually complete," said Brazil team doctor Jose Luis Runco. "Ronaldo won't have any more problems."
Italy's troubled preparations suffered a fresh blow when defender Gianluca Zambrotta was ruled out of their first match against Ghana on Monday because of a thigh injury, the Italian team doctor told the Ansa news agency.
Another defender Alessandro Nesta is also uncertain because of muscular problems 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.
The Netherlands were set to arrive in their training base in western Germany on Tuesday, while the United States were still searching for form in an indifferent warmup campaign after they beat Angola 1-0 in a friendly played behind closed doors on Monday.
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.
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 said so much 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.
"I think he looks very good. I don't really have any other news about him. Let's wait as, very soon, we will know what is going to happen about him."
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.
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 and the blisters is virtually complete," said Brazil team doctor Jose Luis Runco. "Ronaldo won't have any more problems."
Italy's troubled preparations suffered a fresh blow when defender Gianluca Zambrotta was ruled out of their first match against Ghana on Monday because of a thigh injury, the Italian team doctor told the Ansa news agency.
Another defender Alessandro Nesta is also uncertain because of muscular problems 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.
The Netherlands were set to arrive in their training base in western Germany on Tuesday, while the United States were still searching for form in an indifferent warmup campaign after they beat Angola 1-0 in a friendly played behind closed doors on Monday.
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