PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Some of soccer's elite players consider the World
Cup more than just a sporting event. They believe it can also change their
lives.
So Pavel Nedved, who seemed to say goodbye to international soccer in 2004,
is back on the world stage, ready for the World Cup.
It sure didn't look likely two years ago.
"It's for good," the Juventus star midfielder said resolutely when he
announced his international retirement back then, citing a recurrent knee injury
that did not allow him to play for both club and country.
His decision came just a couple of months after he captained the Czechs to
the semifinals of the European Championship. It surprised many, including Czech
national coach Karel Bruckner.
Nedved's retirement severely weakened the Czech squad just as it also was
depleted by injuries. The Czechs, ranked second in the world, were struggling
throughout the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Needed by his nation ¡ª with the World Cup's special attraction playing a role
¡ª it was the right time for Nedved to change his mind and help, saying the
motivation to advance was "huge."
He was not alone in such a turnaround. Some other big stars came out of
retirement to help their countries qualify, including France's Zinedine Zidane,
and Trinidad and Tobago's Dwight Yorke, who helped Manchester United win the
Champions League in 1999.
Czechoslovakia, which split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993,
played in the World Cup several times, but the Czech Republic had never
qualified. It secured a playoff spot this time, then beat Norway for a berth in
the tournament.
Following the successful playoff, which he called "a great fantasy," the
33-year-old Nedved ¡ª Europe's best player three years ago ¡ª is expected to be
the playmaker for the Czechs in Germany.
"He's the leader," Bruckner said about Nedved, stressing his undying "thirst
for winning."
"He's a winning character," the coach added.
