World Cup: ‘Others teetering around’ – Rio Ferdinand names only world-class player in England squad

Manchester United icon and former England defender, Rio Ferdinand has identified the only ‘truly world-class player’ in the England squad at the 2026 World Cup.

The Three Lions started their World Cup journey with great promise, securing a 4-2 victory over Croatia on Wednesday night, thereby taking the lead in Group L.

Despite Harry Kane’s two goals in the first half, England could not secure a lead at halftime, as Marin Baturina and Petar Musa equalised for Croatia.

In the second half, England demonstrated their superiority and achieved a successful start to the World Cup with goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford.

Thomas Tuchel’s squad aims to secure their advancement to the knockout stages when they face Ghana on Tuesday next week, followed by a match against Panama in their final Group L encounter.

Ferdinand expressed optimism regarding England’s performance against Croatia, suggesting that there are indications the Three Lions could progress far in the tournament.

The Manchester United legend further asserted that Tuchel has only one ‘truly world-class player’ at his disposal, namely captain Kane.

Kane, who has already become England’s all-time leading goalscorer, matched Gary Lineker’s record as the nation’s top scorer in World Cups during the victory over Croatia.

The 32-year-old Tottenham star, who ranks just behind Alan Shearer for Premier League goals, had another remarkable season at Bayern Munich, scoring 61 goals in 51 matches.

“Harry Kane is our only genuinely world-class player right now,” six-time Premier League winner, Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

“There’s others teetering around it but he’s the absolutely world-class player in the squad. If you’re looking at players who sit right at the top table and are there comfortably? He is that for England.”