Capello honoured to be England football manager

New England football manager Fabio Capello has described his appointment as a dream come true.

England are rated at 9/1 to win the 2010 World Cup, which will be Capello´s main perogative.

Capello has put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year contract worth £6.5million a year. The English Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick could not contain his delight at securing a world class manager. Capello takes over from Steve McLaren who was shown the door after failing to gain Euro 2008 qualification.

"I am very honoured to be the England manager. I have wanted this job for a long time. It's an honour to be the coach, and it's a dream come true," Capello said in English.

"It's a job that everybody wants and everybody knows there are great expectations with the job and I will work to achieve these with the FA.

"I unofficially started work on Sunday by watching Super Sunday (the televised games between Liverpool and Manchester United and Arsenal against Chelsea) but the official job will start on January 7.

"The main objective will be to meet the players and coaches of the English leagues. I am convinced this is a great team and can go right to the top."

FA chief Brian Barwick commented: "I think we have an outstanding man with an outstanding record and I look forward to working with him from January 7.

"We knew the next appointment had to be somebody of world-class status, a man with a strong personality, vast experience, a coach used to handling big players, big matches and big in-match situations, a man who is tactically astute, adaptable, of proven pedigree, mature and who can handle a big job with the pressures that go with it.

"A winner with a capital 'W'. That was the template, this is the man. Fabio Capello."