The All Whites skipper Ryan Nelsen has revealed he was determined not to miss this weekend's football World Cup qualifying first leg match at Bahrain.
Nelsen was struggling with a back injury and was nowhere near playing for Blackburn Rovers last weekend in England.
But the 31-year-old defender's worked hard all week to recover and is relieved he'll be able to lead the All Whites out on Sunday for a shot at the biggest sports show on the planet.
The Cantabrian says it's a World Cup and everyone understands how important a chance to play at one is in any footballer's career.
He says if he can tick the World Cup box then there's not too many other boxes left to tick in his career.
Coach Ricki Herbert is expected to name an attacking line-up tomorrow when the All Whites leave for Bahrain ahead of Sunday morning's match.
