source: univision.com

Juan Roman Riquelme has tipped Lionel Messi to outperform Wayne Rooney at the World Cup finals this summer. The Argentinean playmaker even went as far as saying "I do not believe Rooney is as good as Messi."

Comparing two such talents is ultimately pointless, but I predict Riquelme will be proved wrong. Not that there's much to choose between Messi and Rooney, but Rooney is integral to the England team while Messi is one of a number of Argentinean playmakers, including Senor Riquelme himself, so he may see his influence limited. On the other hand Messi has already shone in a Barcelona team that contains both Ronaldinho and Deco, so who knows?