`My Kingdom for a First Team Place". Such a sentiment might sound exaggerated but it neatly sums up the reasoning that led Nigerian international goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, to last week "abdicate" the throne of the Idimu tribe in Nigeria in preference for the life of the professional footballer in Spain, at the ripe old age of 35.

Football fans will remember Rufai as the man who kept goal for Nigeria at both the USA 94 and France 98 World Cup Finals.

What not so many will have known was that his father was the King of the Idimu tribe, a minor tribe within the Hausa family which along with the Yoruba and Igbo tribes represent the three great ethnic forces in Nigeria, a country of over 90 million inhabitants.

Two months ago, Rufai's father died leaving him to inherit the Idimu throne. At 35 and no longer able to command a first team place at Deportiva La Coruna in Spain, one might have thought that Rufai would gladly accept a change in lifestyle, opting for a job that would seem to offer better long-term prospects.

After spending time mourning his father in his native city of Zaria in northern Nigeria, Rufai, however, confounded friends and family by "abdicating" his throne and packing his bags to return to Spain, saying that he was not yet "ready" to return to live in Nigeria.

Rarely can a footballer have so clearly lived up to one of the sport's fundamental truths - namely that there is no moment in the game that successful players like less than the dreadful day when they finally and reluctantly accept that the time has come to hang up their boots.

Rufai, of course, can point out that from Northern Ireland's Pat Jennings through to Italy's Dino Zoff, there have been many goalkeepers through the ages who have shown themselves capable of competing at the very highest level of the game up to and after the age of 40.

Given the widespread impression that Nigeria failed to deliver on its obviously immense potential at both the last two World Cup tournaments, then it would hardly be surprising if Rufai was still keen to get back on to the world stage.

Rufai, remember, was one of many Nigerian players who looked less than infallible on that dramatic France '98 night at the Parc des Princes when Denmark sprang the biggest surprise of the second round by humiliating Nigeria in a merciless 4-1 rout.

Much has been written and said about the unorthodox or "improvised" nature of Nigeria's preparations for last summer's World Cup. For example, at 2.00 a.m. one morning on the week before France '98 began, team captain Uche Okechukwu was woken up by a phone call from Nigerian Sports Minister, Sampson Omerwah.

The Minister was, reportedly, none too happy with Nigeria's performance in a 5-1 drubbing in a friendly against Holland the previous evening. The team captain was told that Nigeria's Serbian coach, Boris Milutinovic, would be sacked and that he was to stand by for a further call informing him of the name of Milutinovic's replacement.

Next day, however, Nigerian President Sani Abacha died and no phone call came through.

Milutinovic got to keep his job, going on to produce a Nigerian side which produced some of the best soccer of the first round, especially in a dramatic 3-2 opening game win against Spain. When Nigeria went down to Denmark, conceding two quick goals in the opening minutes, it was obvious that the African team was not in the right frame of mind for competitive football, be that because of political interference and off the field pressures or whatever.

Rufai, too, has his own story to tell re the last minute nature of Nigerian preparations for France 98. He himself was packing his bags and preparing to head off to Cuba for a holiday, three weeks after his league season had ended, when a series of injuries prompted Nigeria to call him up at the last minute.

I wasn't ready for France 98, either physically or mentally. I was on my holidays and I certainly wasn't thinking about the World Cup. I was practically forced to play and the result of that . . . was there for everybody to see. You don't start preparing for a World Cup tournament just two weeks before it is due to begin"

As someone who has been around a number of clubs and countries - he has played in his native Nigeria (Zaria) as well as in Belgium (Lokeren and Beveren), in Holland (Go Ahead Eagles), in Portugal (Faro) and in Spain (Alicante, La Coruna) - Rufai would be entitled to consider retirement. Yet neither his age nor the fact that he is currently kept out of the La Coruna side by the Cameroon keeper Jacques Songo'o seemed to have discouraged him. Nor did even his Idimu throne tempt him. His kingdom for another crack at the World Cup.