To play against Wayne Rooney in the World Cup, just imagine going 90 minutes with a bigger version of Manny Pacquiao.
The 24-year-old England striker with the cruiserweight frame comes from a family of amateur boxers and has plenty of ring experience himself. Only now he scores goals with his head and feet rather than taking out opponents with his fists.
In June, he'll be targeting the United States when the World Cup kicks off, and U.S. defenders such as Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit will come off the field feeling as if they've gone 12 rounds with a relentless fighter. Rooney charges tirelessly around the field to get the ball or tackle opponents no matter the score.
"You know I just hate losing," Rooney says. "Sometimes you're tired, but you don't want to lose. That gives you extra determination to get the next ball or work hard, I think it goes up.
"My mum and dad taught me to never give up and be as strong as I can, so that's what I always try to do."
From Croxteth, a grimy area of Liverpool known for its gang violence, Rooney has used his soccer skills to shake off his poor education and become a wealthy man.
While David Beckham had his good looks and slim figure to help him get big commercial deals, and had become a multimillionaire long before his move to the Los Angeles Galaxy, the chunky, pudgy-faced Rooney is the antithesis. Fans chase Rooney for autographs and photos only because he is a brilliant player.
With a strong local accent and nervous mannerisms, he has become a working class hero, especially after marrying childhood sweetheart Coleen McLoughlin, who has since become a celebrity in her own right in the fashion industry.
How different it may have been if Rooney had stuck to boxing.
"I used to do boxing and football," said Rooney, who followed his father, Wayne Sr., to his uncle's local gym.
"I was training every night with one of them and when I got to about 15, Everton said I had to stop boxing if I wanted to carry on playing football. I had a good chance of making the first team, so I stopped."
Rooney still goes to fight nights and occasionally puts the gloves on in the gym.
"I still love watching boxing," he said. "It is a big thing in my family. I can still do a bit now after training, but obviously not fighting.
"I enjoy it. It is a good way to get rid of some anger."
Rooney barged his way into the Premier League spotlight as a raw 16-year-old with a spectacular debut goal - expertly controlling a high ball with his back to goal and turning to fire a 25-yard shot which dipped over the head of experienced Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman.
That shot for his first club, Everton, was an announcement that at last here was the talented striker England had been looking for, someone who could turn a so-so team into one capable of winning the World Cup. After moving to Manchester United at age 18, he marked his first appearance in the Champions League with three goals against Turkish club Fenerbahce.
This season, Rooney has scored 34 goals for United and shown his versatility, scoring with both feet and his head. Now he has his sights set on facing the U.S. in the two teams' first group game in Rustenburg on June 12.
With Michael Owen past his best and limping from injury to injury, England badly needs someone who can dominate defenders, set up chances for teammates and hit the target on a regular basis.
With his ability to shrug off defenders using his muscular build, launch powerful long-range shots, expertly find teammates with 40-yard passes and chase back to win the ball from opponents, Rooney appears to be a team all on his own.
The downside is his fragile temperament.
Virtually since his first appearances, Rooney has shown he has a short temper, haranguing opponents and referees with expletives, launching into red-faced rage and petulantly fouling players he feels have offended him.
Rooney was sent off in England's last game of the 2006 World Cup for stomping on the groin of Portuguese opponent Ricardo Carvalho.
In the past two seasons, that side of him has calmed down, possibly because he has settled down with a wife and baby son. But the negative side of England's top striker looks likely to erupt at any time.
Rio Ferdinand, who is set to be England's World Cup captain, has seen Rooney improve during their time together at Manchester United. Ferdinand believes the striker has widened his range of skills to become one of the best goal scorers in the game.
"I think he's added a little bit of selfishness into his game," the center back said.
"A lot of times in the past Wayne would've got into a good position, he would've got as much satisfaction out of passing to a teammate and giving them a chance, rather than pulling the trigger himself."
Rooney took over the responsibility as United's main scorer after the club sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid last summer and didn't turn Carlos Tevez's loan deal into a full-time move.
"I think this season he's realized, especially in the Manchester United squad with Cristiano Ronaldo not there and Tevez not there, there's a lot of goals gone from the team," Ferdinand said. "This season he's taken on that responsibility and said 'I'm going to be the man to score the goals' and he's done that fantastically.
"You see him getting into the 6-yard box, scoring tap-ins, scoring headers and that doesn't come through just luck. Hopefully he can continue doing that in an England shirt."
