This tournament has the unique power to create its own heroes

can unexpectedly rise to the occasion and implant themselves so vividly in the world’s consciousness that they could never be forgotten.

The images of those who are successful at a World Cup will be replayed over and over again. It is a chance to make history. Toto Schillaci, the Juventus forward, springs immediately to mind. He was the last member of the Italian squad to be pencilled in for the 1990 World Cup yet ended up being the leading scorer in the competition and one of the most talkedabout figures thereafter. Indeed, whether it was Diego Maradona in 1986, Pele in

1958 and 1970, Paolo Rossi in 1982, Roger Milla or Paul Gascoigne in 1990, they are immortalised by what they did at a World Cup.

There are so many others, all special to the countries they performed for.

It is not just about the team that win the tournament. Every nation can create their own heroes, success is relative. It is not just about the big boys with a track record of doing well. The fact the competition comes around only every four years means you are very lucky to participate in one, either as player or manager. Even the great George Best missed out on this experience.

Playing in the World Cup with Northern Ireland in 1982 was an unforgettable experience for me, and those players from that team are still revered today. The victory over the host nation Spain to reach the quarter-finals is still fresh in my memory and ranks alongside my club achievements with Nottingham Forest.

It is something you will remember for the rest of your life, so make the most of it. Be prepared to sacrifice everything. As an individual, be at your best, and the collective success will hopefully follow. As a manager, that would be my message to the players on the eve of the tournament. This is their time to make history. It is an opportunity not to be missed, to do it for your country, that is very, very important.

Sometimes, you hear rumours about players being bored at tournaments or missing their families because of a prolonged period of time away. I do not get that at all, in fact I have never got it. My view is the same as a manager as when I was captain of Northern Ireland – you can be bored or homesick another time, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so during the rest of your life. This is a wonderful moment in your life that you will, perhaps, never have again. Everything else can be pushed to one side. It is so infrequent, so special, you have got to make some sort of sacrifice and if you do not, I am telling you, you will regret it later in life. The camaraderie you have as a team, the bond you create with your supporters, it is an incredible thing to be a part of.

I may well be only re-enforcing to the players something they have thought about themselves. I am sure they are aware of that, but you want to make sure they realise the full scale of things, particularly preparing for that first game.

I will watch with intrigue how Denmark fare in their group, we having been pipped at the post by them in the play-offs.

All of those emotions we went through during the Euros in France two years ago we wanted to relive again. The players’ rapport with the fans may be what I will miss most. That is why these major competitions are so powerful.