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Ivan Vicelich
Ivan Enjoying "The Pinnacle Of My Career"
by Jeremy Ruane
When All Whites’ coach Ricki Herbert last week confirmed the squad he will take to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup Finals next month, there was just one Auckland City player among the 23 chosen.
And even though his selection was widely anticipated - in all honesty, his omission would have been a massive shock! - Ivan Vicelich was thrilled to hear his name read out.
"It’s a dream come true", City’s captain said immediately afterwards. "As a kid, I wanted to go to the World Cup or watch it on TV, thinking it was going to be easy.
"The reality is it’s very difficult, and it’s great for New Zealand to finally have the names released for all the players. What a fantastic time for a lot of players out there!"
And a difficult time for a few others, particularly some of Vicelich’s Auckland City team-mates, two of whom - Chad Coombes and Jacob Spoonley - have been named among the non-travelling reserves.
"It’s a shame I’m the only Auckland City player included. I’d have loved to have had four or five from City in there. I guess it was a very tough decision, but it’s one the staff had to make.
"Credit to the Auckland City boys, though", continued the club’s Player of the Year. "They did very well this season, and in the games we had during the last two weeks. So did the other boys who came into camp".
For Vicelich to declare the FIFA World Cup Finals "the pinnacle of my career" is a big statement from a player who played professionally in Holland with Roda JC Kerkrade, has represented New Zealand at three FIFA Confederations Cup Finals and captained Auckland during December’s unforgettable FIFA Club World Cup Finals campaign.
But will the greatest show on earth mark the world footballing swansong for the player who has made the most appearances - 65 - for New Zealand in full internationals since the country first graced the world stage in 1904?
"At the moment, I’m just enjoying being involved in this", smiled Vicelich. "I’m going to see how it goes, and enjoy the moment, and I’ll enjoy being back in camp again when we come together on May 19.
"Whatever happens in the future, we’ll see how it goes", says the defender who made his All Whites debut in Uruguay on June 25, 1995, never knowing that fifteen years later, he’d be representing New Zealand on football’s greatest stage.
Vicelich and his All Whites team-mates take on Australia in Melbourne on May 24, then head to Austria for a training camp and internationals against Serbia and Slovenia. A training match against Chile in South Africa is scheduled just prior to the World Cup Finals, during which New Zealand will play Slovakia (June 15), Italy (June 20), and Paraguay (June 24) in pool play.
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