Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson tried to get the FA to pull England striker Wayne Rooney out of the World Cup. (Sun)

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo is an injury doubt for Portugal's clash with Iran on Friday. (Sun, Guardian)

Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy insists Holland will not fall apart after a dressing-room row threatened to derail their World Cup bid. (Mirror)

Brazil striker Ronaldo is back in training after being given the all-clear following a major health scare. (Sun, Mirror, Star, Telegraph, Independent, Guardian)

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WORLD CUP FUNNIES

Ivory Coast players used their day off to spend a staggering £14,000 on computer games, DVDs and CDs in a electrical shop near Cologne. (Sun)

Holland's gay community have elected Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo as the World Cup's "most beautiful, attractive and sexiest" footballer. (Mirror)

Trinidad & Tobago defender Brent Sancho got his local TV newsreader to ask his girlfriend to marry him live on air during the 2-0 defeat to England. (Mirror)

Holland boss Marco van Basten has promised his players a night at a pop concert if they reach the World Cup final - so they can repeat the Dutch team's visit to a Whitney Houston gig before winning the 1988 European Championship. (Sun)

England's players have been issued with earplugs to help them sleep through the din outside their city-centre hotel created by partying fans. (Guardian)

# Peter Crouch has vowed only to repeat his 'Robokop' dance if England win the World Cup, but his very own 'Mini Me' is happily continuing the tradtition.

Nine-year-old Callum Smith, who at 5ft 2ins is not quite as tall as his hero, has been practising his moves in front of classmates at Churchdown Park Manor Junior School in Gloucester.

Callum was one of 11 children picked for a look-a-likes England World Cup team by former national coach Terry Venables as part of a TV advert.

# Meanwhile, proud father Greg Boyd had more reason than most to cheer when Aaron Lennon came on as a second half substitute for England against Trinidad & Tobago.

Greg's week-old son, Lennon, was named after the Spurs winger - and arrived just in time for his dad to watch the World Cup.

Greg was panicking that he may have to miss some of the opening matches due to the small matter of attending his first-born's birth but 8.6lbs Lennon arrived a day early and was allowed home just in time for the opening ceremony.

"It was perfect timing," Greg, of Clifton in Bristol told BBC Sport. "Lennon did us proud - and at 52cm, he's almost as tall as his namesake!"

# Tesco said sales of Caribbean food and drink had soared north of the border as Scots prepared to cheer on Trinidad & Tobago. Buyer Simon Dunn said: "We've seen huge increases in the sale of rum in Scotland by nearly 15% and the sale of mangoes has increased by a staggering 47% in the past two weeks alone."

# A television set was ordered for the British delegation room at a Brussels summit on the future direction of the European Union so Prime Minister Tony Blair could keep his eye on the match.