Hi °C | Lo °C 
Germany are one of the most consistent teams in tournament football, so don't be surprised to see them hanging around at the semi-final stage. If they do make it that far, it's likely that Bayern Munich striker Miroslav Klose will have been on the score sheet a few times. He scored seven goals during Germany's qualification process and as the winner of the award at the last World Cup, could become the first ever player to retain the award.
English football fans will be well aware of the Portuguese's prowess in front of goal, and his move to Real Madrid hasn't diminished it in the slightest. He scored 33 goals in 35 appearances in his first season at the Bernabeu. He's never quite transformed his club form to international level but if Portugal progress from the 'group of death' it'll probably be because of Ronaldo.
Another player who will need to be firing if his team are to progress from the 'group of death' will be Luis Fabiano. Brazil's star striker would normally hail from one of the greatest clubs on the planet, but not Fabiano. The 29-year-old plays for the unglamorous Sevilla in Spain. Yet, like some sort of a super hero, the moment he pulls on the yellow jersey he is transformed. He was Brazil's top scorer during qualification with nine goals, and with the Samba Boys expected to go far, he'll have many opportunities to find the back of the net.
England fans will be hoping that Wayne Rooney can transfer his club form for Manchester United to the national team. In the absence of Ronaldo, Rooney has been prolific, scoring 26 goals in the Premier League before injury curtailed his run. He scored nine for England during qualification, but if he is to win the Golden Boot, he'll need to stay on the pitch. In the two tournaments he's featured in for the Three Lions, he's failed to finish either of them, finding himself leaving the pitch early with an injury or a red card.
Argentina are the unknown package of this World Cup. Their qualification campaign was awful, but Diego Maradona's team scraped through to take their place in South Africa. So if the Golden Boot winner is to come from this team, they'll need to pull themselves together. For this list we've gone for Maradona's son-in-law Sergio Aguero. We could just have easily picked Lionel Messi or Carlos Tevez, but Aguero's form towards the end of the season with club side Atletico Madrid was sensational.
The Liverpool striker is fighting his way back to fitness and the latest indications are that he'll be ready for Spain's first match against Switzerland. There is no question about Torres' ability in front of goal; the super-fast striker is arguably the greatest player at one-on-one situations currently playing football. And with players like Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and Alonso delivering the killer passes, he's sure to get more than his fair share of chances.
Spain are the only country to feature two players on this list. Torres' strike partner and the top scorer at Euro 2008 has just completed a big-money move to Barcelona and will be eager to show the world why they forked out so many Euros for his services. Spain are bound to go far in this tournament and Villa and Torres may find themselves in a personal dual for the Golden Boot.
Yet another Golden Boot contender who finds himself in the 'group of death' (perhaps indicating just why it earned the nickname). Didier Drogba is now rightly recognised as one of the best strikers in the world. He may roll around on the floor a little too much and spend a lot of his time remonstrating with the referee, but there's no doubting his talent. He top scored in the Premier League this season, banging in 29 goals. The strongest striker taking part in South Africa, Drogba will cause defenders untold trouble. He's quick and can score from just about anywhere. And on top of all that, he's started belting in free-kicks at will with Chelsea.
It's never easy to predict what will happen with the Dutch. In one game they'll look dead-certs to lift the trophy, in the next they'll be three goals down. If they can hold it together and stop the usual infighting that has plagued many of their campaigns, it may just provide the platform for Arsenal's Robin van Persie to shine. Injury ruined the athletic striker's season. But before hurting his leg, he was standing toe-to-toe with the other best strikers in the Premier League. And on his return in the last few games, he was already looking very sharp. Yet he may find himself usurped by one of his own team-mates; Arjen Robben's form for Bayern Munich towards the end of the season make him a dark-horse for the Golden Boot.
Despite France needing the 'Hand of Gaul' to reach the World Cup, they remain among the favourites to lift the trophy. Looking around the team, play-for-player they're certainly one of the strongest; Gourcuff, Sagna, Evra, Henry, Benzema; these are world class players. And although they tend to spread the goals between them, we've selected Nicolas Anelka as one of our candidates to take the Golden Boot. The 31-year-old has a new lease of life at Chelsea and tends to look one of the sharpest players on the pitch whenever he's out there. His record for France is not fantastic (14 goals in 64 appearances), but considering his ability, that statistic makes no sense at all. Anelka is due a flurry of goals.
England fans have already had a glimpse of the Mexico stopper during the recent friendly. Yet if fans were sitting in Row Z, they might not have seen him. At just 5'7", Perez will be the shortest keeper on show. How he fares against the height of Peter Crouch or the strength of Didier Drogba could be entertaining.
Goalkeepers are an eccentric bunch, and in the absence of Germany's Jens Lehman, the most eccentric of the 2010 gang could well be our very own David James. Undoubtedly an excellent keeper, there's always a feeling that he's just one touch away from an almighty blooper. The art-loving afro-wearing former Spice Boy will have England fans on the edge of their seats.
The Italian stopper is one of the best, and he's also one of the most noticeable. His dark looks and none-too-shy way with words will see him stand out. And on top of that, the new Italy goalkeeper kit makes him look like some sort of second rate super hero.
Ghana's No 1 is a bit of a worry. Mainly because he's also Wigan's No 3. Now no disrespect to Wigan, but if he's not even making it onto the bench in Greater Manchester, is he really international standard? It could be fun finding out.
If there's a pre-tournament favourite for which goalkeeper will concede the most goals, it has to be Myong-Guk. He's the North Korea stopper, and on top of being the No 1 for the most unfancied team in the tournament, they will be facing Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast in the group stage. He might as well start practicing picking the ball out of the net now.
With a nickname like 'The Cat', there was never any doubt about Enyeama's inclusion on this list. The athletic and somewhat fearless keeper (as strikers with a one-on-one chance are likely to find out) has been a staple of the Nigerian team for the last decade. During this year's African Cup of Nations, Enyeama saved a spot-kick during a penalty shoot-out against Zambia. He scored one as well.
Hamidou is no longer Cameroon's first choice keeper, but he can expect to be on the bench in South Africa.
If you're looking for one of the best keepers at this summer's tournament, you would do well to cast your eye towards Spain. Their No 1 is Real Madrid stopper Iker Casilla. At 29 he's already made over 100 appearances for the national side and is undoubtedly one of the best in the business.
Running Casillas close for the best stopper at the tournament will be Julio Cesar of Brazil. The 30-year-old was an essential ingredient in Inter Milan's run to the Champions League title, pulling off a memorable save against Lionel Messi along the way.
England fans will get a good look at Gaouaoui when Fabio Capello's team meet Algeria during the group phase. The 32-year-old is well known for his leaping abilities and it would also appear he's willing to aim high at this World Cup: "The USA, Slovenia and especially England make for a very hard World Cup group," he said. "However, why shouldn't we aim for second place?" Why indeed.
Frank Lampard's other half could well be making an appearance in South Africa, although she may need to get some time off from her role as presenter of the BBC's One Show.
Peter Crouch's girlfriend is considered one of the most prominent England WAGs, appearing in lads mags on a regular basis and making appearances on various television shows.
Even though he's injured, David Beckham is going to the World Cup in a coaching capacity. So expect 'queen WAG' Victoria to be close behind.
Coleen has a burgeoning media career, working as a fashion columnist and TV presenter. And as the wife of England's star asset Wayne she will find herself the centre of attention in South Africa
During the 2006 World Cup, Steven Gerrard's wife was one of the most prominent WAGs in attendance, being followed by the paparazzi at every turn in Baden-Baden.
At times the WAG culture in England seems out of control, but the phenomenon isn't unique to our shores. The wives and girlfriends of the major foreign stars can also expect to regularly find themselves on camera while supporting their men. One such lady is Sylvie van der Vaart, the wife of Dutch midfielder Rafael. The former model turned to TV hosting, including the 2008 Fifa World Cup Player of the Year ceremony.
The wife of Spain star Xabi Alonso is considered among the most prominent WAGs for the pre-tournament favourites. The Spanish actress caused a rift between Alonso and Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez during the midfielder's time on Merseyside. She selfishly decided to give birth to their son Jontxu in the middle of a Champions League campaign, forcing Alonso to miss a match against Inter Milan.
Seredova is the girlfriend of Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. The former Miss Czech Republic has a clothing line and has featured in Penthouse magazine and Playboy.
Brandner is considered 'queen of the WAGs' in Germany due to her relationship with German star Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Fabio Capello pronounced himself satisfied with Saturday's draw against the United States but you have to wonder if he was still feeling the same way yesterday afternoon when his medical staff told him that Ledley King's World Cup finals are virtually over.
This morning, England's World Cup looks like a very different prospect with two of their three first-choice centre-backs out injured and the initiative in Group C seized by Slovenia, who beat Algeria yesterday with a goal almost as lucky as Clint Dempsey's on Saturday. To throw away a victory on Saturday was bad luck, but to lose King as well as Rio Ferdinand, makes it feel like England are under siege already.
There was plenty about England's performance against the US that could kindle hope. Jamie Carragher even compared it to the 1-1 draw against the Republic of Ireland, with which England began the 1990 World Cup before reaching the semi-finals. But one can only imagine how a squad that had already had to take the disappointment of Robert Green's error on Saturday then felt when they learnt they had already lost King.
Since Capello announced his ill-fated 'Capello Index' on 11 May, followed by the chaotic final preparations of his 30-man squad the same day, his leadership has lacked the smoothness of his qualifying campaign. He has been dealt some harsh blows – none more so than the injury to Ferdinand – and now we will see if the squad he has selected has the depth to absorb them.
King was always a risk and, while there is a faint hope he may yet be available should England stay in the tournament until the quarter-finals, suddenly so much of England's immediate future is about waiting on injuries. Capello has taken it for granted that Gareth Barry will be fit for Friday's game against Algeria but, given the manager's current luck, no one should bank on that being the case.
The alternative to King is a partnership of John Terry and Carragher at the heart of England's defence – the one that was reprised in the second half against the US on Saturday. After that, there is Matthew Upson and the uncapped Michael Dawson. Carragher was beaten for pace once by Jozy Altidore but he was smart enough to ensure it did not happen again.
Earlier, King's abductor muscle was only thought to be a one-game injury – but with King, there are no one-game injuries. When he is hurt, he tends to have long absences forced upon him. And, for an England team who already have David Beckham and Ferdinand on the bench, this is one more man they do not need to have as a spectator.
There was enough in England's performance – against a US team who beat Spain in South Africa this time last year – to suggest they have a chance in this competition. They dominated long periods of the game with an overall possession count of 54 per cent and, in Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Aaron Lennon, had the match's three best players.
Green's fumble that let in Dempsey's shot on 40 minutes threw a shadow over it all. It was the single moment in 90 minutes of toil that undid the whole night's work. It was the tiny crack in the hull of the battleship. It was, to use a historically inaccurate analogy, the moment Baldrick uses the only copy of Samuel Johnson's dictionary as fuel for the fire in "Blackadder the Third". It was a bad mistake.
It was the kind of mistake that will mean many people forget that England were up against a well-organised team who beat Spain in the Confederations' Cup last summer. This was never going to be three easy points.
It is impossible to blame Capello for the kind of mistake Green made, although, as manager, he will have to take ultimate responsibility. Capello is instinctively conservative, so Green was always the likely candidate ahead of the untried Hart. But most puzzling is why a personal difference with David James continues to prevent him from even considering the keeper.
James is known to have a difficult relationship with some members of Capello's backroom staff and the goalkeeper is adamant he is not injured, as has been suggested. He is understood to be unhappy with the selection process that means he has been ignored all week while Capello has focused on Green and Hart.
Arguably Capello's worst decision was to pick James Milner, who has struggled all week with a virus and was booked within 26 minutes for two bad tackles on Steve Cherundolo – the US right-back, who would not usually get near to Milner on the average Premier League weekend game. From then on, Milner, his confidence draining away, was one challenge from a red card.
Taking him off with only 30 minutes played was an honest admission by Capello that he had made a mistake in picking Milner in the first place. As the game went on, England got at their opposition but when it really mattered they seemed to lack the instinct to finish the US off.
Three occasions stand out. The first came on 20 minutes when Wayne Rooney played in Lennon in the right channel and, instead of trying to beat Tim Howard with a shot, the Spurs man crossed and the ball was cut out. Rooney played in Shaun Wright-Phillips on 73 minutes and, coming in from the left, he hit his shot straight at Howard.
Potentially the best chance of all came on 53 minutes, when Lennon put Emile Heskey in and he shot straight at Howard. Heskey worked hard all game and it was his pass that set up Gerrard to score in the fourth minute, but the question that demands to be answered is how England can progress if they do not score goals.
Peter Crouch got an 11-minute run-out that was barely enough to get him stretched and playing. He will score England's goals given the chance but he needs to start games. Capello's preoccupation over the next few days is whether he sticks with Heskey and whether he can plan a defence that is capable of compensating for King's absence. One game in and it is hardly plain sailing.
England (4-4-2): Green (West Ham); Johnson (Liverpool), King (Tottenham), Terry (Chelsea), A Cole (Chelsea); Lennon (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Milner (Aston Villa); Heskey (Aston Villa), Rooney (Manchester United). Substitutes used: Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) for Milner (30); Carragher (Liverpool) for King (h-t); Crouch (Tottenham) for Heskey (79).
USA (4-4-2): Howard (Everton); Cherundolo (Hannover), DeMerit (Watford), Onyewu (Milan), Bocanegra (Rennes); Donovan (LA Galaxy), Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach), Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Dempsey (Fulham); Findley (Real Salt Lake), Altidore (Hull). Substitutes used: Buddle (LA Galaxy) for Findley (77); Holden (Bolton) for Altidore (86).
Referee: C Simon (Brazil).
Booked: England Milner, Carragher, Gerrard; USA Cherundolo, DeMerit, Findley.
Man of the match: Johnson.
Attendance: 38,646.
