One team are the reigning champions and has the best player in the world, the other has eight world-class players and (a half-fit) Wayne Rooney: but which team will win the ultimate prize?

There is so much to look forward to in Germany over the coming weeks.

Can England’s best team for 40 years surpass the achievements of 1966 by winning the World Cup on foreign soil? Will Ronaldinho inspire Brazil and be ranked alongside Pele and Diego Maradona as an all-time great? Will Wayne Rooney get fit in time to be crowned the best young player in the world or will Argentina’s Lionel Messi outshine him?

England usually have an outside chance of winning the World Cup. This time they are rightly classified as one of the favourites. They have an abundance of world-class players and with the tournament being in Europe, they will never have a better chance.

Despite Greece’s success in Euro 2004, I don’t see a long shot causing an upset in this World Cup. The super-powers prepare better for a World Cup than a European or South American Championship – hence the Premiership season finishing early this time – and that’s why once again the winners will come from the likes of holders Brazil, Argentina, France, England, Italy or Germany. And out of those I really fancy either Brazil or England.

It’s only right to start with Brazil. They are the holders and look even stronger attacking-wise than four years ago with Kaka, Adriano, Robinho and Juninho Pernambucano added to their all-star roster as well as skipper Emerson, of Juventus, who was injured last time.

Everyone remembers the magical Brazilian teams of 1970 and 1982 and this team could be as exciting. The only saving grace for the rest of the teams is that the manager can’t accommodate every attacking player: Real Madrid have tried that and it doesn’t work!

There are question marks over their defence and whether their star of four years ago, Ronaldo, can be as sharp again this summer.

On the plus side, Ronaldinho has matured from being a talented youngster in 2002 to the best player in the world and he could easily be the outstanding individual of this World Cup. Ronaldinho is breathtaking. He is the one player around who could challenge the mantle of Pele and Maradona as the best ever. The Barcelona star has all the attributes you want: he is strong, quick, skilful, scores goals and a big-match temperament. He’s got all the tricks in his repertoire and isn’t afraid to use them. I’ve seen him do things that defy belief.

What’s nice is that he plays with a smile on his face. He seems to enjoy playing and with so many great players around him in the Brazilian team, he will enjoy this World Cup in particular. My kids love watching him play and I’m sure everyone else does too. Nobody has defended the World Cup since Brazil did it in 1962 but with Ronaldinho around, this side are capable of it.

Outside Brazil, England have the best players to choose from. I think this is our biggest chance since having home advantage in 1966. The World Cup is a lot harder to win now, it’s 32 teams rather than 16 to start with, and so if David Beckham lifts the trophy in July, it will surpass the achievement of 1966 in my eyes.

I have always thought you need seven or eight world-class players to have a realistic chance. I think we have more than that this time. You could make a case for nine of them and the other two aren’t bad.

Four years ago, we reached the quarter-finals with Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville injured and Beckham and Owen not 100 per cent. This time we look in better shape. It’s probably now or never, with the European conditions suiting us.

We must play the English way: it has to be high-tempo and we have to take a chance in games. We can’t try and play cagily like Italy. Yes, you run the risk of getting tired later in matches if you play high-tempo but you normally find the adrenalin of being in a World Cup enables players to blast through matches anyway. We played that way in 1990 and though we were knackered at the end, we kept performing.

There have been encouraging signs in our recent friendly game that Sven-Göran Eriksson is starting to play to our strengths. He was brought up on Italian football and in the past he has lapsed into trying to hold on to a lead. But I sense that is changing, we are playing higher up the pitch and more aggressively. That’s good.

The emergence of Michael Carrick as an international-quality player gives Sven options. If Rooney does not recover from his broken foot, he can push Owen up with Steven Gerrard supporting, knowing that Carrick can step into midfield alongside Frank Lampard. Believe me, there are times during a World Cup where you will have to change things around to cope with injuries or suspensions and Carrick could be a key man in that.

Another advantage for Sven is his personality. I have read all about motivational managers but in the World Cup, no player needs motivating: they probably need calming down because the size of the occasion can get too much. It’s one of the reasons I think the England players like Sven. His ability to keep players calm is a plus point in a major competition, even if it might be a disadvantage in a friendly match when England have looked lethargic in the past.

Germany are weaker than four years ago but they have home advantage and should emerge unscathed in Group A. Michael Ballack is still their big star although there don’t seem to be many young players coming through besides Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger. It beggars belief in some ways that their manager Jurgen Klinsmann lives in America. It certainly couldn‚t have happened in England. But I know Jurgen, he’s a strong-willed so-and-so and if anyone can pull out a miracle, it’s him. It would help England if they and Germany won their groups because that would avoid a meeting in the last 16.

I went to Group C favourites Argentina recently to interview Diego Maradona. Messi is on all the billboards over there and is regarded as the big star even though he is still a teenager. Every couple of years, the Argentines dub somebody ‘The New Maradona’ but this kid genuinely could be something special.

Surprisingly though, Argentina fans aren’t overconfident about their team’s prospects. They are strong in midfield with the likes of Juan Roman Riquelme but may lack a goalscoring centre-forward, where Hernan Crespo is decent but not as mobile as he used to be.

They certainly have a difficult group though with Holland, Ivory Coast and Serbia & Montenegro. I played a bit of golf with Marco van Basten after he retired and was surprised when he did a Kevin Keegan and was lured back into football. He is untried at this level but his results have been decent so far.

Group D favourites Portugal reached the Euro 2004 final on home soil. Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Pauleta and Luis Figo are experienced at this level and Luiz Felipe Scolari will fancy getting them to the semi-finals.

It’s a shame for Africa that their strongest countries Ivory Coast and Ghana have been put in the hardest groups. It means you might not get an African side in the last 16. Ghana, who have Michael Essien, will be cursing their draw with Italy, USA and the Czech Republic. Italy have always had good defensive players and will hope someone like Alberto Gilardino emerges as the new successor to Roberto Baggio up front. The Czechs have the best goalkeeper in the world, Petr Cech, so every game in that group will be tough.

I imagine Brazil will win all three games in Group F. As for Australia we like to tease the Aussies about not being able to play football but it’s not really true. Mark Viduka is a class act, if a little heavy these days, there is no doubting Harry Kewell’s quality and Mark Schwarzer and Tim Cahill are good Premiership performers.

But Japan are the real dark horses in the group, I played there in 1992 and they have approved immensely since then and have a real chance of going through.

France didn’t score a goal at the last World Cup and even though Thierry Henry is still sensational, it may be a tournament too far for some of their players like Zinedine Zidane. At least they should qualify with ease this time from a very comfortable group.

And what about Spain, the biggest enigmas in international football? An injury to Xavi Hernandez hasn’t helped their preparations but they have got a good draw, an easy group and likely last-16 tie against Switzerland which is winnable. Spain should be on a par with Italy at the World Cup because they both have strong leagues and talented players. But their record is nowhere near as good as the Italians. Spain should reach the quarter-finals but beyond that I doubt it.

For a World Cup winner, look no further than Brazil or England.