World cup who's who

Whether you're a fan of Beckham's barnet, Gary Breen's bottom or Ferdinand's free kicks, get set to banter with the best of them this World Cup with Mark Sylvester's guide to homegrown talent

The England Team
The Republic of Ireland Team

David Seaman
Shay Given

Rio Ferdinand
Gary Breen

Sol Campbell
Steve Finnan

Ashley Cole
Ian Harte

Danny Mills
Steve Staunton

David Beckham
Damien Duff

Nicky Butt
Matt Holland

Kieron Dyer
Roy Keane

Paul Scholes
Jason McAteer

Emile Heskey
Robbie Keane

Michael Owen
Niall Quinn

The England Team
David Seaman
Goalkeeper; aged 38; club: Arsenal

In an age when most footy players resemble rejects from Pop Stars, David Seaman is a reassuring throwback to the way footballers used to look - big, ugly, and, best of all, he has a moustache. Unfortunately, the keeper known as Safe Hands lets himself down with the worst ponytail in world football, it is believed that the inspiration for this spectacular specimen came from his wife Deborah.

His made-for-comedy name inspired a famous footy joke after former Spurs player Nayim kicked the ball over him to score from the halfway line. Hence, 'Who can lob Seaman from 50 yards?'

All said, though, Seaman is a great keeper who saved penalties against Scotland and Spain in the Euro '96 tournament. Great at crosses, if he doesn't come too early - whoops.

Rio Ferdinand
Central defender; aged 23; club: Leeds

'His name is Rio and he dances on the sand' is just one of the songs that hasn't been sung about Rio Ferdinand. So don't sing it unless you want to be surrounded by blank looks. Now an established fixture in the England team, Rio's budding international career almost faltered under previous England coach Kevin Keegan when he was implicated in an alcopops guzzling incident before a match. Football fans were shocked, because they thought he should have been drinking lager. Rio became the most expensive defender in the world when he signed for Leeds from West Ham for £18 million in November 2000. He remains single to concentrate on his football, which is characterised by great skill and amazing balance for a big man.

Sol Campbell
Central defender; aged 28; club: Arsenal

When Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell, for such is his full name, moved from Tottenham to bitter rivals Arsenal he provoked supporters to hurl foul-mouthed abuse and sing rude songs - so no change there then. After a poor start to his Arsenal career Sol has settled down, and at 6ft 2in and more than 14 stone he has a commanding presence on the pitch, is strong in the air and skilful on the ground. Should be in the Guinness Book of Records for causing the greatest number of people ever to leap in the air at exactly the same time, and then shout 'b*****ks' five seconds later. That happened when he 'scored' what would have been the winning goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, only to have it disallowed for a foul by Alan Shearer.