Shrek v The Tin Opener

They are two teenagers barely old enough to vote, but each has his nation's hopes and dreams lying at his multi-million-pound feet.

When England's Wayne Rooney and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo step out for tonight's Euro 2004 quarter-final in Lisbon, they will have more resting on their shoulders than most other young men their age could imagine.

Both are rising stars in world football. Both were born into ordinary backgrounds - Rooney (nickname Shrek) in a council house and Ronaldo (The Tin Opener) in a tin shack. But there the similarities end.

The Portuguese star has quickly taken to the life of the eligible young footballer - he is dating model Laura Frain, drives a BMW X5, favours 'bling' jewellery and owns a £700,000 home in Britain, as well as a £1million mansion in Lisbon.

Yet, despite all the hype about Rooney - with scientists likening his ability to that of Mozart and Brazilian legend Pele heaping praise on him - he stubbornly remains a boy next door, driving a Ford Focus and tucking into sausage and chips.

The only obvious sign of ostentation from his £1million-plus salary is the £1.2million house in the Liverpool suburb of Formby where he lives with his fiancèe - former childhood sweetheart Colleen McLoughlin.