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FIFAworldcup - In a
sensational start to his 2006 FIFA World Cup™ campaign, Portugal striker
Pauleta took just four minutes to open his account against Group D
minnows Angola.
The Paris Saint-Germain sharpshooter’s goal secured a welcome three
points for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side, and took him into second place on
the list of his country’s all-time leading scorers at FIFA World Cup
tournaments, overtaking legendary figures like Jose Augusto and Jose
Torres in the process.
Four years ago, Pauleta grabbed a hat-trick against Poland, although his
achievements were overshadowed by Portugal's surprise first-round exit
over in the Far East. The player himself has learned from the experience
and become a wiser player for it. He may now have Eusebio's nine-goal
record in his sights, but as Pauleta revealed to FIFAworldcup.com, he
always puts the team before individual glory.
FIFAworldcup.com: Unlike in your two previous international
tournaments (Korea/Japan 2002, UEFA EURO 2004), Portugal got off to a
winning start at Germany 2006. What effect has this had on the squad?
Pauleta: It is always good to get that first win under your belt. We
were already confident coming into the competition, and now even more
so. It gives us a cushion, but we know that we have to work hard in
order to pick up the points we need to get through to the next round,
which is our first big objective.
On a personal level, it was clearly a dream start for you.
Yes it was, but the win was much more important than my own performance.
The broad smile on your face as you celebrated that goal, showed just
how much it meant to you. How did it feel to score such a crucial goal
and see the delight on the faces of the supporters?
It was incredibly satisfying. Obviously, scoring in a World Cup is
great, but helping seal three points for the team was even better. I was
happy because my team-mates, the coaches and all the fans were happy.
Despite getting off to a winning start, Portugal's display left
something to be desired and the team were even booed by some fans at the
stadium.
That often happens in the first game of a major tournament, and the
points are more important than the performance. To be fair, Angola
worked really hard, and we just couldn’t get that second goal that would
have allowed us to relax a little bit.
Iran are up next, and they
desperately need a positive result to stay in the competition. What do
you know about them and can you see them causing Portugal problems?
We’ve watched the video of their first game, and they look like a strong
team. They were a bit unlucky to lose 3-1 to Mexico, because technically
they are very sound and they are in good shape physically as well. Quite
a few of them play in Europe, and especially here in Germany. So we’re
ready for a tough game, and we know that we’ll have to play well if
we’re going to pick up the three points.
You have already written your name into the record books as your
country’s all-time leading scorer. Do you dream of going down in FIFA
World Cup history as the top scorer here in Germany?
To be honest my main aim is to help the team go as far as we can in the
tournament. Personal milestones are not as important as the team’s
performances. If I get some chances, then I’m going to do my best to
score goals, but that’s not down to personal ambition. I want to do my
bit, and make sure that our national team puts up a strong showing for
the good of the country as a whole.
So who do you think will be the main contenders for the adidas Golden
Shoe award?
Ronaldo is the favourite, no doubt about it. You can never write him
off, and I’m sure that, as usual, O Fenômeno is going to be in great
form during this World Cup.
And which teams do you think have got the quality to go all the way?
The usual suspects - Brazil, Italy, Argentina and Germany. As far as
Portugal are concerned, we just want to focus on getting to the
quarter-finals, because after that, anything can happen. |
