Naybet set for milestone Tuesday, 10 February 2004 by Mark Kendall Deportivo La Coruna defender Nourredine Naybet will earn his 150th cap for Morocco when he leads his country out in their African Cup of Nations semi-final against Mali. The rugged central defender has now appeared in five African showpieces for the 'Atlas Lions', as well as World Cups in 1994 and 1998. The 34-year-old admitted to skysports.com that he is more concerned about qualifying for the final than his personal milestone, having never before reached such a stage with his nation. "It matters to me more how the team plays than the personal side," declared Naybet. "It's going to be a very special week for me and hopefully we can get to the final. "I have never played in one with Morocco and I think this is the best chance we've had." "When these landmarks arrive (150th cap) it's important to remember where you started, for me at WAC Casablanca, and I honestly never believed I would have gone so far in the sport." However, Naybet was quick to warn against taking opponents Mali too lightly, and insisted that they were far from a one man band, despite the goalscoring exploits of Spurs star Fredi Kanoute. "Mali are not just about Kanoute," he continued. "They have good forward players, and midfielders who are professionals in the French league so they will be used to competitive games." The inspirational skipper also revealed that he was still not contemplating retirement from either club or international football, and has set his sights on the 2006 World Cup in Germany. "I have still not thought about retirement. I am in good physical shape and I can still perform for my country. "The 2006 World Cup would be a good date to start think about letting others take over." http://skysports.planetfootball.com/article.asp?id=185520&cpid=216 --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.229.9.199 ※ 编辑: DiegoTristan 来自: 61.229.9.199 (02/13 02:17)