Seven jaw-dropping England bets nobody’s talking about

The greatest show on earth is upon us football fans. Coral’s industry experts have put together seven amazing bets related to England for the Brazil finals that are a little outside the box.

Wayne Rooney to score from outside the box – 7/2
And it is that precise theme that we literally start with. Remember when Three Lions talisman Rooney smashed in a sensational long range effort for Manchester United against Newcastle United? Moments earlier, he was arguing with the referee, but all was forgotten after such a sumptuous strike. These odds for Rooney to be on target from a similar distance in Brazil are tempting.

England win a penalty shoot-out – 7/1
They say there’s a first time for everything. The Three Lions have never won one of these lethal lotteries at a World Cup in three attempts, but with the likes of Leighton Baines, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Rickie Lambert in Roy Hodgson’s ranks, that can change here. It’s high time England won a shoot-out.

Steven Gerrard wins the Golden Ball – 100/1
National captain Gerrard has been a revelation in the deep-lying playmaker position for Liverpool this term. He even caught the eye of Italy’s Andrea Pirlo, arguably the best ever in that position. Hodgson is set to use his skipper in a similar role, so it can definitely pay dividends, which will reward both Gerrard and punters.

England are top European team – 10/1
Forget Spain’s tiki-taka style, and the glut of German talent taken to Brazil by Joachim Low. Maybe, just maybe, with emerging stars like Ross Barkley, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling, the Three Lions will be top dog from the 13 that came through the European section of qualifying.

Danny Welbeck is World Cup Group D top scorer – 25/1
Much-maligned Manchester United forward Welbeck has almost always excelled in an England shirt. Audacious back-heel finishes have helped him post an average of a goal every three games (or eight in 24 caps to date). Four in qualifying for the Brazil finals from Welbeck are enough to suggest he can be leading marksman in a pool that also contains Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.