Football: From Ronaldinho to Torres; The All Whites at the Confederations Cup

Raf De Gregorio tussles with Thierry Henry for possession during the All Whites' match against France during the 2003 Confederations Cup. Photo / Getty Images.

The All Whites need to maximise their experience at the Confederations Cup, as it could be the last edition in the current format.

There are questions over the event in 2021, because it would be impossible to play in Qatar in the blistering summer heat of June and July and it's difficult to find another place in the calendar.

Then in 2025 it could be replaced by the new mini-tournament ahead of the expanded World Cup, which will see six teams from five regions play off for the two final places at the 48 team tournament.

All Whites captain Chris Wood admitted that if the Confederations Cup was discontinued, it would be a significant blow for New Zealand football.

"It's a big competition," said Wood. "Maybe for the bigger nations it might not be so but for us it is a stage to put our name out there. It's a competition we look forward to every four years, to get there [so] we are hoping it continues for many years to come."

While the likes of Russia, Chile and Portugal will take their first bow at the Confederations Cup this time round, the All Whites will be making their fourth appearance. They have always struggled for results - losing eight of nine previous matches - but it has provided invaluable experience.

Their first campaign was 1999 in Mexico, and the All Whites were competitive in all three matches. The 2-1 loss to USA was memorable for Chris Zoricich's late free kick, but the highlight was the battling display against Brazil (0-2).

"Late in the second half Che Bunce had a header that I was sure was in," recalled Ivan Vicelich. "But Dida made an incredible save. We were that close to being 1-1, before Ronaldinho scored a brilliant free kick near the end."

The 2003 tournament had few positives. Coach Mick Waitt picked an ageing side and they faced three red hot teams, especially the host nation France who boasted Thierry Henry and Robert Pires and smashed the All Whites 5-0.

Japan accounted for New Zealand 3-0 and Colombia won 3-1, though the All Whites held an improbable lead for more than 30 minutes.

"Japan were outstanding at that time with Nakamura and Nakata, so quick, so fast," recalled Vicelich. "We led against Colombia - a great Raf de Gregorio strike - and played quite well. But France had just won the European Championships and they were a class above. That's the reality of football sometimes."

But the importance of the tournament experience was best shown in 2009, vital to the subsequent World Cup qualification success over Bahrain. It helped coach Ricki Herbert crystalize his strategy - abandoning thoughts of a back four - and built belief among the playing group.

"It was incredible preparation," said Vicelich. "We played Tanzania, Botswana and Italy in warm up matches, then Spain, South Africa and Iraq."

New Zealand were smashed 5-0 by La Roja, with Fernando Torres getting a hat trick inside 17 minutes. The All Whites then slumped to a disappointing 2-0 loss to Bafana Bafana, before a credible draw against the Asian champions Iraq, which was New Zealand's first result at a senior Fifa tournament.

"Spain was one of the toughest games of my career," said Vicelich. "They were world champions and had transformed the way football was played. But we ended on a high against Iraq and when we came back together to face Bahrain, we got back to that level."