Rooney's two stunning goals against Croatia not only clinched a 4-2 victory and a place in the quarter-finals for the Three Lions - they also made him leading scorer in the tournament and put him firmly on the celebrity A-list.

England Head Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson believes the 18-year-old wonderkid is making the same kind of impact that Pele made on the 1958 World Cup in Sweden when he was just 17.

And if anyone can understand the hysteria that will greet Rooney when he eventually arrives back in England, hopefully not until next month, it is Beckham.

But the Three Lions skipper believes the Everton man can cope - and keep up his incredible goalscoring form all the way to the final.

He said: "The great thing about him is that he's a very down to earth lad and I am sure he will stay that way. He's got great people behind him and a great family and they will make sure of that.

"But he deserves the credit he is getting. I heard what the manager said about him and Pele and I think he's right. It's a great compliment but I think he deserves it because of the way he's performing.

"If he carries on that way then hopefully we will go a long way in this tournament."

Beckham wasn't shy to add his compliments to the long list of congratulatory messages for Rooney after an astonishing game at the Stadium of Light.

The FA chose not to put man of the match Rooney up for interview after the final whistle in a bid to protect from the unrelenting interest in his every move from press and reporters across the world.

But Beckham admits the youngster deserves every headline that comes his way.

He said: "Wayne is an amazing player. He's proving that to a lot of people over here but he doesn't need to prove it to us because we all know what a great player he is. He's doing it in each game and we are very happy to have him in the side."

The next task now for England is a quarter-final against Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday, and it promises to be a match to remember.

It will put Rooney up against Portugal's own boy wonder, Manchester United star Ronaldo who is only 19. And that's a match-up that Beckham is looking forward to.

He said: "It's a shame that we have only two days to prepare but we have got to do it and we'll be ready. Portugal have got great players in their team - Ronaldo has performed really well in the tournament so far and he's a great talent. But hopefully we'll perform as well as we have done against Croatia and that would give us a great chance to go even further."