Is there any leading side in the tournament so dependent upon an individual player as England? Après Rooney, le déluge as this jovial, if tendentious, comparison demonstrates:
René Higuita: 68 appearances for Colombia and 8 goals.
José Luis Chilavert: 74 appearances for Paraguay and 8 goals.
Emile Heskey: 58 appearances for England and 7 goals.
Of course this isn’t entirely fair. No-one would ever ask Heskey to take a penalty, would they?