00:00Tribelzi, who won 81 caps as a central defender, helped Tunisia dominate CAF qualifying Group H,
00:07without conceding a single goal in 10 matches.
00:11But in half their fixtures, they scored only one goal or fewer.
00:17After Qatar 2022, Tunisia's ranking dropped steadily, bottoming out at 52 in the world.
00:24They are now back heading in a positive direction.
00:31The likely captain in North America is Naeem Slity, a well-travelled winger, now applying his trade in Qatar for
00:39Al-Shamal.
00:40It's always a pleasure. The Tunisian national team has always been a goal for me.
00:49Even when I was injured and without a club, I always had in my mind to come back fully and
00:54return to the national team.
00:55And thanks to God, I came back.
00:58There have been many changes within the team, a new president, new management, a new coach.
01:03It's a pleasure to be part of this project.
01:06Regarding my role, the coach relies on me a lot as a senior member of the team, to also help
01:10off the field.
01:11Because, you know, football isn't just about what happens on the pitch.
01:15It's also about what happens off it, how to manage the group.
01:18Lately, it has been very difficult.
01:20The players were deeply affected by what happened.
01:23Those were tough times, just like for any national team, for the whole group.
01:28But thanks to God, we have moved forward in a positive direction.
01:32Now it's about maintaining that momentum and continuing to grow.
01:35I have a role to play.
01:37And if I am called up to the national team, I will always give 100%.
01:45Slyti grew up in Marseille and is one of a number of French-born players in the Tunisian squad,
01:51reflecting the influence of the European country on one of its former colonies.
02:03Three further French-born players make up the majority of the unbeatable Tunisian defence.
02:09That includes the imposing Montessar Talbi, who plays in Ligue 1 for Lorient.
02:21Slyti was also born in France, but now earns his stripes in the Bundesliga,
02:27the same competition as German-born Elias Saad.
02:38Goals have been hard to come by for Tunisia, despite their defensive solidity.
02:43Mohamed Ali Ben-Romdana topscored during qualification,
02:47but two of his four goals were penalties.
02:53Finding some firepower in North America will be essential
02:57if the North African trailblazers are to progress beyond the group phase
03:01for the first time in their history
03:02and add to the region's burgeoning reputation on the highest level.
03:22Plenty of football managers are lauded as the greatest of all time,
03:26but many of them haven't competed at the World Cup,
03:30the biggest tournament in the sport,
03:32or they have tried their hand without success.
03:36Which puts the achievements of a Serbian journeyman into context,
03:40an unheralded coach who not only survived at the highest level,
03:44but thrived.
03:47Borom Milutinovic enjoyed a solid playing career,
03:50stretching from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s.
03:55His odyssey took him from his homeland of Serbia,
03:59through Switzerland and France,
04:01and eventually to Mexico City.
04:04But this was nothing compared to what was to follow in his managerial career.
04:13Milutinovic has managed in 11 different countries,
04:16including as head coach of nine separate national teams,
04:19from China to Jamaica and everywhere in between.
04:24And he did so with remarkable distinction.
04:31Milutinovic coached at the World Cup Finals with five different countries,
04:35in the process becoming the only manager to sit in the dugout
04:39at five consecutive tournaments.
04:43He began by guiding hosts Mexico to the quarter-finals in 1986,
04:49held TRI's highest ever finish.
04:54I did what I did because I had extraordinary players,
04:57the best staff,
04:59and especially the great support of the Mexican fans.
05:03It was something unforgettable.
05:08He followed that up by steering debutante Costa Rica into the round of 16,
05:13beating Scotland and Sweden along the way.
05:18Four years later,
05:19he advanced the USA to the knockout phase for the first time since the 1930s.
05:26I was so happy with the American team.
05:28We win the World Cup in 1991.
05:30After that team made a great World Cup,
05:33we lose against Brazil.
05:34But really,
05:35I think our team was excellent.
05:40At France 98,
05:41he masterminded Nigeria's victory over Spain
05:44as the Super Eagles topped their group.
05:48Finally,
05:49the Serbian became a hero in China,
05:52coaching the Asian Giants
05:54to their first ever World Cup.
05:57I respect China.
05:59Really,
06:00one country where I feel so, so, so,
06:02so good is China.
06:04We made a great job.
06:05Our team was one the best team in does it.
06:11This would be the only occasion Militinovic fell at the group phase.
06:16When you don't score a goal,
06:18you can be happy,
06:20but on the other side,
06:21that player,
06:22they make big effort.
06:23I believe this,
06:25they make,
06:26they do everything
06:27to give
06:30pleasure our pooling what we can do.
06:33Five World Cups,
06:35five different teams,
06:37four group stages
06:38navigated successfully.
06:43For a Militinovic has left his mark on the greatest stage in sport.
06:48the team
06:49and the Europeanually
06:49has come
06:50The
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