England begin their bid to end a 60-year wait for a trophy when they take on Croatia in their World Cup opener on Wednesday while Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in a record-equalling sixth tournament.

Portuguese great Ronaldo, 41, has a tough act to follow after his old nemesis Lionel Messi scored a spectacular hat-trick for Argentina on Tuesday to equal the all-time World Cup goalscoring record, making a mockery of his 38 years.

Between them, Ronaldo and Messi have won the Ballon d''Or award for the world's best player 13 times.

Ronaldo is expected to start against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston, captaining a richly talented Portugal squad that are trying to win football's biggest prize for the first time.

England skipper Harry Kane meanwhile urged his England team-mates to "go for it" and be "free in the mind" when they take on the beaten 2018 finalists Croatia in the vast AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.