Wayne Rooney set to pick up 500,000 pound goal bonus

England striker Wayne Rooney will bag a staggering 500,000 pounds goal bonus if he is top scorer at the World Cup.

Rooney's incentive has been written into the lucrative deal he has with his long-standing boot supplier.

If the 24-year-old has a successful tournament, he is also expected to be crowned world player of the year in December, News of the World reports.

However, the striker must beat off competition from Fernando Torres, David Villa and Luis Fabiano to pick up the bounty.

England’s last World Cup Golden Boot winner was Gary Lineker at Mexico in 1986, finishing the tournament as top scorer with six goals.

Rooney did not score for England in the last tournament, but this time he is expected to after a phenomenal season at Old Trafford.

He is the fourth favourite with bookmakers to bag the most goals in South Africa after an impressive year for club and country.

Rooney has been in explosive form this season for Manchester United, as his goals against West Ham this week, his 26th and 27th of the season, means he has only 15 fewer than Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally in the 2007-08 campaign.

He is also on course to win the PFA Player of the Year award.