Twenty years ago, the World Cup changed my life and I’ve no doubt it will do the same to a few others this summer.

Winning the Golden Boot in Mexico put me on another level as a player and a personality and it was only when I got back to England that I fully realised just what a huge event the World Cup is.

There will be billions tuning in again this summer and I think fans across the globe are going to have a cracking tournament.

You have the superstars like Ronaldinho, Zidane, Henry and Beckham. You have the romance from teams such as Togo and Trinidad & Tobago. And you have an England side with a genuine chance of winning for the first time since 1966.

Let’s not kid ourselves it will be easy. Brazil look stronger than ever and all the other traditional superpowers are there: Italy, Germany, Holland, France and Argentina.

But we’ve got a golden generation of players, strength in every position and an individual genius called Wayne Rooney who could tip the balance in our favour.

I hope this magazine will be your regular companion during the World Cup. You can read about all the teams – big and small – the individual superstars and my views on the leading contenders and my candidates to be top scorer.

I will be in Germany during the tournament presenting the matches on television and I can’t wait for it all to start.

Nothing unites the world like the World Cup. Every four years, it’s the main topic of conversation in every continent. It’s going to be a cracker. Enjoy.