Rooney heads to Brazil with the weight of a nation on his shoulders once again but question marks remain on whether the Manchester United striker can produce the goods on the international stage, with him yet to score a World Cup goal in two previous appearances.
And while he has entered previous World Cups under an injury cloud, former England striker Shearer says it is time the 28-year-old finally delivers at football's showpiece event, where Roy Hodgson's men will come up against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in Group D.
"It's a gap in the story of his career which he would like to fill," Shearer told reporters. "But he probably hasn't yet gone to a World Cup in the best of fitness and you can't argue with his record at international level overall.
"But he needs to go out and have a big tournament. If he does that, he will be the key to us having a successful World Cup. When Rooney plays well, England play well.
"I'm a Rooney fan. He ticks all the boxes as a player, but for him to be put in the same bracket as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, he needs to have a great tournament in Brazil.
"Having said that, Messi has yet to set the place on fire at a World Cup as well."
The Newcastle great, however, has backed Rooney to surpass Sir Bobby Charlton as England's all-time leading goalscorer.
"Rooney has scored 38 goals for England," he said. "He's only 11 short of Bobby Charlton's record and I think he will go on to break it."
WATCH: Rooney fit for World Cup
