Brazil legend Carlos Alberto has no doubt that England will qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, pointing to the experience gained in recent years as the key.
The Three Lions have had a remarkable 2008 under the stewardship of Fabio Capello, putting behind them the disappointment of missing out on the European Championship in the summer to make a good start on their road to South Africa.
They currently sit top of Group Six in the UEFA qualifying zone with a five point lead over Croatia after just four games.
Carlos Alberto, regarded by many as one of the greatest defenders of all time and himself a World Cup-winning captain, feels that England can go on and achieve great things in 2010.
"I think they are coming together now and they can be a force at the World Cup," the Brazilian said. "This is mainly because of the experienced players that they have.
"They have been playing together for the last six or seven years at least. Now with a new coach, a winner, I believe that England will make the next World Cup."
Carlos Alberto, who is in South Africa to attend Soccerex 2008, also praised the Barclays Premier League saying it should be the catalyst for English success on the world stage.
He continued: "Today England has the best local championship, very famous all over the world, and they deserve it because of what they've done to football.
"They bring fans to the stadiums, every game we see full stadiums, so in my opinion they deserve to do well at the World Cup.
"So we'll see then what can happen. I wish them the best."
The 64-year-old has played alongside some of the best ever players during his time, with his 1970 team-mates including Jairzinho, Tostao, Pele and Gerson.
And the former Fluminense, Santos and Flamengo ace is hoping for more great names to come to the fore from his native South America at the 2010 finals, despite being concerned about the state of the game in that region.
He added: "I hope that South America can be successful at the next World Cup and with some new big players.
"But the big problem with football here is that the law of the transfer market allows our best players to leave their countries early in life to go and play in Europe.
"This is not good because these players lose the spirit to play in their country, to play for their youth teams and in front of their own fans.
"This is the biggest problem with South American football.
Source:
http://www.football365.com