Fabio Cannavaro maybe thirty five years old but the Italy and Real Madrid defender spoke today about his desire to play in the 2010 World Cup and about the togetherness at the Spanish club....

Fabio Cannavaro might well have lifted the World Cup with Italy already in 2006 but speaking today the veteran defender said the pain of not going to the European Championships inspires him to win another.

The Real Madrid player was injured during training for the tournament meaning he played no part in it, and as he spoke today about retirement he said he has other things on his mind.

"I want to play the World Cup in 2010 because for me to miss out of the European Championships leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth and nor do I want to end my career with a loss. Once that has passed I will decide my future," he assured.

The former Juventus man is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the world and was the first defender to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year. However, he has not played much for Real Madrid this season as he recovers from injury and he spoke about the mental struggle with the rehabilitation at his age.

"Once you get above the age of 30 it is all psychological," he explained, "Morning to evening, morning to evening, without stopping, and I had never experienced it before."

Cannvaro is one of the veterans in the Real Madrid side and he has nothing but praise for a fellow experienced campaigner, Raúl.

"He is a great professional, great person and more fit because of not played in the European Championships. As a forward he hasn't been scoring goals and people have said he is old, without realising the important work he does for the team," he mused.

Real Madrid are bidding for their third La Liga title in a row this season and they have started off well both in Spain and in Europe. Italian defender Cannavaro puts a lot of the success down to the togetherness of the group.

"We know each other better this year, in our group we speak and joke about even the most delicate of games. In spite of the tension we manage to put humour into it, that shows we are a group," he concluded.