By the time this article appears, the finalists of World Cup 2006 will have been decided, and following another defeat thanks to the dreaded penalty shootout, England’s hopes have yet again been dashed.

Although debate about who should shoulder the blame for failure will continue to rage, the subject that dominated the press in the run-up to the tournament – Wayne Rooney’s metatarsal – is now a fading memory, following the boy wonder’s doctor-defying recovery.