Soccer: White, hot and Dutch

Kids from the local school in the coal-mining area of Limburg in southern Holland know where Ivan Vicelich lives.

They often knock on his door, cautiously asking for an autograph, before passing on the address for their friends to approach Vicelich later. It's all part of daily life for the Roda JC midfielder but he will have to build up a new army of fans after signing a two-year deal last week to join Dutch rivals RKC Waalwijk, 90 minutes up the motorway.

The 29-year-old was also being courted by the New Zealand Knights to play in the A-League and those in the know suggest it got close but when he considered what he might be giving up it was an easy decision.

"There was contact with the Knights but after talking it over with my wife, Marissa, we decided to stay in Europe," Vicelich said from his home in the Netherlands. "It was a matter of deciding whether we wanted to come home and I still have ambitions to play as long as possible at the highest level I can. I couldn't turn it down."

It's for this reason that no one can begrudge Vicelich for deciding to stick it out in the Eredivisie.

Behind the glamour European leagues of England, Spain, Italy and Germany, the Dutch league ranks as one of the best in the world. Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord might not resonate in the same way that Liverpool, Real Madrid and Juventus do, but they're instantly recognisable within the footballing fraternity. Vicelich, however, is the forgotten man of New Zealand football, especially in light of the recent achievements of Ryan Nelsen and, to a lesser extent, Simon Elliott.

Vicelich has spent the past six years with Roda JC after being signed from the Football Kingz, of all places, and quietly goes about his business in the same efficient and understated way he plays the game. It hasn't helped his profile here that he's been absent from the All Whites since the ill-fated World Cup qualifying campaign of 2004.

But he has a chance to reacquaint himself with his New Zealand team-mates when they touch down in Budapest today to start their four-match European tour that culminates in a glamour match-up with Brazil in Geneva on June 4.

While most people's focus is on the match against Brazil - a game that sold out within a week and will be shown live in more than 50 countries - Vicelich, while obviously excited by the prospect of playing against Ronaldinho and Ronaldo, has his sights set on the other games.

"I think the most important games are probably going to be the ones before Brazil because that's when we will be pushing for results," New Zealand's 2002 Player of the Year explained. "I mean, against Brazil it's going to be very hard because they are the No 1 team in the world just before they peak for the World Cup."

A result against Hungary (ranked 76th in the world), Georgia (101) or Estonia (77) will be difficult, not just because they are all ranked higher than the All Whites (118), but also because New Zealand have never won an international in Europe. Their best result was the 1-1 draw with Scotland in 2003. A result, though, would help the Ricki Herbert-coached side achieve their goal of slotting into the world rankings between 70 and 100.

In the absence of Nelsen, who is out with a fractured leg, Vicelich might be employed in central defence - a position he has played regularly this season for Roda - or as a holding midfielder.

Although Brazil agreed to the game with New Zealand perhaps thinking they would go easy on the world champions, it's not something that enters Vicelich's mind.

"If something happens, it happens," he said of the chance of invaliding a star out of the biggest tournament on the planet. "We will have to play at 100 per cent. We want to give Brazil a difficult game and show what New Zealand is capable of at that level."

Vicelich has played Brazil once before, at the 1999 Confederations Cup, when he came on as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to earn one of his 53 caps. On that day a young Ronaldinho dazzled the All Whites and gave onlookers a glimpse of the player he would become.

Chances are he will do it again in Geneva, but watching him all the way will be a ponytailed Kiwi with Croatian parents.