Player Profile : Manchester United star Wayne Rooney

Despite a disappointing World Cup in South Africa, Rooney is still undoubtedly viewed as one of the best players in the world.

 The Manchester United striker has been firmly in the spotlight since first breaking into the England side aged 17 and has the potential to stay at the top of the game for years to come.

 Having worked his way through the Everton academy, a 16-year-old Rooney shot to the world's attention with a stunning goal against Arsenal in 2002 and showed skill beyond his years before Manchester United signed him for around £30 million after the 2004 European Championships - in which he had played a starring role.

 The powerful frontman made an immediate impact with a hat-trick on his debut - a Champions League victory over Fenerbache in September 2004 - and went on to help United to three straight Premier League titles between 2006-2009, while also collecting numerous personal awards.

 The 2009-10 season represented the pinnacle of Rooney's goalscoring career to date, as he plundered 34 goals in 42 games in all competitions for United.

 Cristiano Ronaldo's departure to Real Madrid allowed Rooney to flourish as he became the focal point of the Old Trafford attack, and he spearheaded United's forward line in style.

 Rooney scored the winning goal in the 2010 Carling Cup final and though United missed out on domestic and European glory, he was rewarded for an impressive campaign with the PFA Players' Player of the Year Award.

 In September 2008, Rooney became the youngest player in league history to make 200 appearances but after poor form and a tabloid scandal after the 2010 World Cup, he admitted he wanted to leave Manchester United.

 It took just three days for him to perform a U-turn though, committing his future to the club until 2015 amid a media melee, and sealing another title at the end of the season.

 Strengths: Powerful and strong on the ball, Rooney's ability to pick a pass, shoot from distance and unselfishly work for the team is unparalleled in world football. His passion can never been called into question.

 Weaknesses: He suffers when the red mist descends and has a propensity to lose his cool in key games. Sometimes an impetuous customer, prone to easy frustration.

 Career high: His stunning debut hat-trick for Manchester United is a strong contender, but it cannot top being named as the best player in the country by his fellow professionals, as he scooped the PFA Players' Player of the Year Award in for the 2009-10 season.

 Career low: Being sent off against Portugal in the 2006 World Cup for stamping on a rather delicate area of Ricardo Carvalho's, after working so hard to be fit for the tournament following a metatarsal injury.

 Style: Powerful, hard-working, passionate; an unselfish superstar. Quotes: "We all know football players at the top level are blessed with high wages, it's no secret. But Rooney would play for 100 euros-a-week. You can see the fire in his eyes. It's that fire which makes him the best of the best." World Player of the Year Lionel Messi praises Rooney's passion.

 Trivia: Rooney has "Just Enough Education To Perform" tattooed on his right forearm. The line is the title of an album by his favourite band, The Stereophonics.

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Player profile: Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is the heir apparent to the throne left vacant by Diego Armando Maradona. The waters are divided between those who consider him to be far from being the best No. 10, and those who believe that Messi will be even better than Maradona.

 Born in Rosario, he cut his teeth in the youth ranks of Newell's Old Boys, until a hormonal problem that affected his growth changed the plans of his family and, of course, his personal future.

 Facing expensive treatment for their son, Messi's parents moved to Spain as Newell's were not able to afford the medical costs related to his condition, and even the wealthiest Argentine teams, such as River Plate, refused to foot the bill.

 After his first trial with Barcelona, the Catalan coaches had no doubts.

 They decided to sign Messi and pay for his medical treatment.

 His growth was noticeable within Barca, and in little time he came to be considered one of the great talents at the club.

 He made his debut in the first division in October 2004, against Espanyol, and Barcelona have since adopted him as one of their greatest idols. His first championship would come in the Liga season of 2004-05.

 Since then, and playing a more prominent role every season, he has won every major club trophy at Camp Nou - including a stunning haul of six in 2008-09 - and claimed the World Player of the Year award three times in three years, leaving many in little doubt as to the fact that Messi is the best player of his generation; possibly of all-time.

 That idea was given further weight in March 2012 when, at the age of 24, he became the all-time top scorer at Barcelona - beating the 232 goals of Cesar Rodriguez.

 Strengths: His ball skills are second to none, his runs from midfield are usually lethal and he is almost impossible to tackle when he gets his head down. His balance when running at speed is incredible. 

Weaknesses: Too often he searches for a way to finish moves by himself without looking for team-mates in a better position to shoot at goal. Career high: Winning the 2009, 2010 and 2011 World Player of the Year awards.

 Career low: He was unable to perform to his best in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals with Messi looking on from the bench.

 Style: Quick, incisive, balanced, a stylish runner with the ball. Quotes: "Messi is my Maradona," said Maradona himself, as the head coach of the Argentine national team.

 Trivia: His debut with the national team (against Hungary) was a disaster: he entered the game in the 18th minute of the second half, and 47 seconds later was sent off.

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Player Profile: Edinson Cavani

Full Name: Edinson Cavani

Squad No: 7

Position: Forward

Age: 25

Birth Date: Feb 14, 1987

Birth Place: Salto, Uruguay

Height: 6' 2'' (1.88m)

Weight: 71 kg

Napoli secured the services of Edinson Roberto Cavani Gomez on a one-season loan deal from Palermo on the eve of the 2010 World Cup, but importantly also secured a right-to-buy option set at around €12 million.

The Salto-born striker began his a career with Montevideo side Danubio FC in 2006 and made an instant impact, scoring nine goals in his debut season as the Uruguayan club won the Primera Division Apertura. His exploits in the domestic game earned him a call-up to the Uruguay Under-20 side for the 2007 South American Youth Championship in Paraguay, where he was scouted by a number of European clubs, including Juventus and AC Milan.

However, it was Palermo who moved quickest to snap up the youngster. The deal was officially completed in January 2007, but El Matador had to wait until March to make a memorable debut against Fiorentina as he hit a volleyed equaliser that was reminiscent of Marco van Basten's legendary strike against Soviet Union in the final of Euro '88.

Following the departure of Amauri to Juventus in June 2008, Cavani quickly established himself as a regular at Palermo, scoring 35 goals in 114 appearances, but was forced to play in a wide role rather than in his preferred position as a central striker. In April 2010, he penned a new contract with Palermo that ran until June 2014, but the prospect of playing a more central role in Walter Mazzarri's Napoli proved too difficult to resist and Cavani swapped Scilly for the Italian mainland in a move that established his credentials as a top quality goalscorer.

He started life at the Stadio San Paolo in emphatic fashion and ended the season with 26 goals in a league campaign that culminated with qualification for the Champions League. Cavani was just two goals behind Udinese's Antonio Di Natale and would have been the first Napoli player to top the scoring charts since Diego Maradona in 1988, although the Argentine did it with just 15 goals.

Cavani's star continued to rise as he won the 2011 Copa America with Uruguay and he has since been linked with big money moves to the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid, with some reports putting the transfer fee as high as £50 million.

Strengths: Powerful and strong, he is a commanding presence up front who can hold onto the ball and is not afraid to get his head on a cross, but most importantly he is a natural finsher when in front of goal.

Weaknesses: His eagerness to work defensively for the team can draw him too deep and his passing is not on a par with his finishing.

Career high: Winning the 2011 Copa America to make Uruguay the most successful team in the competition's history, with 15 triumphs, one ahead of Argentina.

Career low: It's a tough to call for a player who is on a meteroic rise. Perhaps the fact he only scored two goals in his first six months at Palermo.

Style: Agile, powerful, a real handful in the box who loves to play on the counter-attack.

Quotes: "He's an important player for us. He fights hard, he tries to play and when he doesn't manage to do so, he still fights and that's important." Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez, November 2011

Trivia: Cavani comes from a footballing family and his older brother Walter Guglielmone plays as a forward for Brazilian Serie D side Pelotas.

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