Out of retirement and into the World Cup

BY SCOTT MORGAN

A trip to the football World Cup in South Africa isn't something that was on All White Ivan Vicelich's mind until just a few months ago.

Vicelich retired from international football last year, returning to captain Auckland City in the New Zealand Football Championship after completing a successful professional career in Europe.

But a phone call from All Whites coach Ricki Herbert in May changed all that when the defender was drafted into the national squad as cover for captain Ryan Nelsen at the Confederations Cup.

Now Vicelich, 33, is hoping to make the trip to South Africa in June next year after being part of the All Whites' world cup qualifying win against Bahrain on Saturday night.

"Retiring was a good decision for me at the time," he says.

"Then the opportunity came up when Ryan got injured, I became involved and began to enjoy it as well.

"Now we're in the World Cup - it all seems to be a pathway, like it's meant to be."

The Mt Eden resident says he's excited about the possibility of taking part in the tournament he used to skip school to watch on TV.

"It's a dream come true for me.

"I'm pretty happy with the way the career has gone and this is the icing on the cake near the end."

He says the key to victory over Bahrain was simply following the game plan.

"We didn't get to overawed by the situation. There was a lot of responsibility on our backs with the future of football getting a kickstart by us qualifying.

"The major factor was everyone doing their job. Collectively it was a really good performance."

While the All Whites won't know which pool they're in until the World Cup draw is made in the coming weeks, Vicelich is excited about potentially coming up against some of the best footballers on the planet.

"We'll be the underdogs, but we've got nothing to lose. Anything from now on is a bonus."

The victory over Bahrain begins a massive month of football for Vicelich.

His Auckland City side takes on arch rivals Wai-takere United on Sunday at Kiwitea St from 2pm, before a rematch the following Saturday at Fred Taylor Park.

Then they're off to Abu Dhabi to face Al Ahli in the Fifa World Club Cup.

Auckland City coach Paul Posa says Vicelich has a huge part to play in all of the team's upcoming contests, despite taking a knock in the match against Bahrain.

"He's pretty resilient. Ivan didn't miss a minute for us last season.

"As our captain, he's a really important player for us."

Posa says Vicelich's selection is proof players in the New Zealand Football Championship can be good enough to compete at international level.

"The best players in the NZFC are probably not far off A-League standard, so it's a good stepping stone for them."

- © Fairfax NZ News