Soccer: 1982 and all that

Ricki Herbert

Ricki Herbert will join a select group when the All Whites walk out to play Brazil at the Stade de Geneva early on Monday morning.

Herbert will join a select few who have played against and then coached a team against the world's greatest footballing nation.

The irony of the situation is not lost on Herbert, who was the youngest player in John Adshead's team at the 1982 World Cup finals and now finds himself, 24 years on, at the helm.

"As a player, I was in the early stages of my career. Now, as a coach, I'm in much the same situation," says Herbert. "It will be a special occasion.

"It was great to have had the chance to play a team like Brazil. I can remember the players sitting around a couple of days before the game waiting for the coach to read out the team sheet."

Herbert did not have much to worry about. He had played every game - starting in all but one - in the World Cup campaign and was a certainty to partner Bobby Almond in the heart of the New Zealand defence.

Herbert, who played 84 times for the All Whites, has no doubt about where that game - a 4-0 loss in Seville - sits in his long career.

"It still remains the highlight. You look around the world and realise there are a lot of great players who have never played against Brazil," he says.

"Their team in Spain in 1982 was always perceived as the best in the world at the time, and arguably the best not to win the World Cup."

Much the same has been said about the team Herbert and his All Whites will come up against at 4 o'clock on Monday morning (NZ time). The defending World Cup champions go to Germany as a short-priced favourite and will use the match in Geneva as a vital final tune-up - indeed it is their only warm-up match against a national team.

"We know it will not be easy and are aware that there is the potential to get a hiding," says Herbert. "You only have to look at the 7-0 win Germany had over Luxembourg this week to be reminded of what can happen to teams - even those ranked higher than we are.

"Again, if we look back to 1982 there are similarities. We wanted to get some credibility against the Brazilians, who paid us the compliment of playing their best team even though they had already qualified. We are again facing the best they can put up against us.

"Nothing has changed. We want this team to go out and do the same, put in a credible performance and enjoy the experience. As a team and individuals we wanted to do well. The game was played in good spirit," says Herbert, who still treasures the shirt he was given by the great Socrates in a swap after the match. "For us it was full on. From what I can remember it was half an hour before they scored their first goal. It was an enjoyable game to play - one which went very quickly.

"We took something from the experience for sure. Here we were this little team, the lowest ranked at the tournament and up against Brazil who had put out their best to play against us.

"I expect they will do the same again. It could be they name the same team to play us who will play in their first World Cup game," says Herbert. "We have to take something from that. For our players to be on the same pitch as Ronaldinho and Brazil - the best player and the best team in the world - is special. It is fantastic not only for those of us over here but for kids in New Zealand who will have the chance to see the game.

"I will be interested to see what the viewer numbers are and not only from football people. There is talk of a billion people worldwide watching the game."

Herbert will probably name his starting line-up some time tomorrow but admits even before yesterday's game against Estonia he could have written down eight or nine names.

"We have nothing to hide. We have had the players with us for a couple of weeks so we have a pretty good idea on where we are headed. There is a human interest side to all of this.

"German newspapers made plenty of our win over Georgia. It reminded us of just what this tour is about and what we have achieved."

* The only other time New Zealand have played Brazil was in group play at the 1999 Confederations Cup in Mexico. Brazil won 2-0, leaving this team with the chance of becoming the first to score a goal against the South American giants.