
And so to Russia 2018 and the bane of almost every England manager's life since Sir Alf Ramsey led this birth-place of football to its one and only glory, more than a half a century ago.

Those damned, accursed penalties.

Nor, sorry, are the wretched statistics getting any better as the youngest band of boys in our World Cup history prepare to take flight.

England's players look on as they are beaten on penalties by Portugal at the quarter-final stage of the 2006 World Cup

Just one of this summer's World Cup penalty specialists has converted every spot kick of his career, including of course the last 10 he has taken.

Unfortunately that gentleman is not Harry Kane. Nor Jamie Vardy or Gary Cahill, either of whom could deputise for England's new captain when it comes to stepping up in Russia.

Each of that trio has missed two of his last 10 and all come lower down the chart for life-time penalties.

If it is any consolation, the man with the spotless record does play his club football in this country and will be joining Kane and Co in the Premier League if Aston Villa beat Fulham in their championship play-off final this weekend.

Mile Jedinak never misses a penalty, which is one reason why Australia are going to Russia. Another is also one of our imports from Down Under.

Huddersfield's Aaron Mooy, their understudy to Jedinak in this regard, has failed with only one of his last 10 penalties and his all-time 90 per cent success ratio puts him second only to Mr Perfect.

This graphic compiled by JD Sports show the best penalty-taking records of players who will be at the 2018 World Cup

Australia captain Mile Jedinak has scored all 14 of the penalties he has taken for country and club

Aston Villa veteran Jedinak celebrates scoring a penalty against Honduras to send Australia through to the World Cup

In the last-10 countdown to Russia, that also ranks Mooy level with Cristiano Ronaldo, Oliver Giroud and Eden Hazard. As well as alongside Marco Reus, who stands well above Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller in the pecking order for Germany's world champions.

The Germans, it transpires, have inflicted most damage on England in tournament shoot-outs without being as expert at penalties overall as we have imagined.

These findings come from a treasure trove of pre-World Cup stats compiled by JD Sports/Football.

They include such startling revelations as Spain being the worst of the 2018 Finalists at penalties and Lionel Messi having missed more in his career than any of his leading contemporaries. That is another notch on Ronaldo's belt in his rivalry with Argentina's little maestro for recognition as the best player on the planet.

This graphic from JD Sports shows where Cristiano Ronaldo has placed the 10 penalties he has taken for Portugal

Another surprise is that Antoine Griezmann, the Frenchman at Atletico Madrid who is set for a £100million to Barcelona this summer, is the worst penalty taker in terms of career percentages. He has missed six out of 15.

JD Sports have also cast their eye over the men charged with stopping spot kicks.

Again, in the person of Brighton's Mathew Ryan, Australia have the best keeper, with a career record of 11 saves from 30 kicks faced.

There is some hope for England in this department. Jordan Pickford's lifetime saves percentage is only 17 per cent but he has stopped six of the last 10 penalties he has faced.

Hope springs eternal. Even though English nerves will be jangling if Gareth Southgate's young men are put to trial by penalties in the weeks.

Graphics and statistics compiled by JD Sports/Football