May 29, 2002

NARAHA, Japan, May 29 (Reuters) - Pablo Cavallero has had to emerge from under the shadow of Paraguay's goalkeeping giant Jose Luis Chilavert and fight prejudice back home to get selected for Argentina's World Cup opener against Nigeria in Ibaraki on Sunday.

Cavallero, 28, is the least capped of a trio of goalkeepers in coach Marcelo Bielsa's squad who all play for Spanish first division clubs and have with little to choose between them.

But they all have one thing in common -- they are not too highly regarded in their home country and seen as a weak link in the tournament favourites' armour.

German Burgos of promoted Atletico Madrid is, like Cavallero, at his second finals after being Carlos Roa's understudy in 1998 in France where the new number one was number three. Roberto Bonano of Barcelona is at his first finals.

Cavallero found regular first team football in his mid-20s at Celta Vigo after being Chilavert's understudy at his Argentina first division club Velez Sarsfield.

"If you look at the four or five goalkeepers here (in the Korea/Japan finals), there isn't such a difference (between them and us three) as people perceive there (in Argentina)," Cavallero told reporters on Wednesday at the squad's World Cup base camp on Japan's Pacific coast north of Tokyo.

"We're always cast as the bad guys in the film," he said of generalised opinions among fans and in some news media about their capabilities, especially when measured against 1978-World Cup-winning keeper Ubaldo Fillol.

FORGOTTEN MAN

He said goalkeepers were usually forgotten when they played an important role.

"People talk about Fillol but they forget about Nery Pumpido and he won the World Cup (with Argentina) in 1986 and the Libertadores Cup and Intercontinental (world club) Cup with River Plate," Cavallero said.

"Fillol had four shots on the posts," Cavallero said of the 1978 World Cup finals, which Argentina won for the first time on home soil.

"I just want to thank (coach Marcelo Bielsa) for the support he gave me," said Cavallero, who made his full international debut under Daniel Passarella in 1996, months after helping Argentina reach the final of the Atlanta Olympics which they lost to Nigeria 3-2.

He has only seven caps, the last in April's 1-0 warmup victory over Germany in Stuttgart, but has matured with Celta.

Cavallero believes in Argentina's defence and sees no weakening of the right flank following the injury that put Inter Milan's Nelson Vivas out of the finals.

"We're saddened by Nelson's absence here because he was one of the leading players in the squad. Despite being a reserve at (his former club) Arsenal he carved himself a fixed place in the national team," he said.

"Poche (Mauricio Pochettino) fills the same role as stopper. He's perhaps a bit stronger defensively being a central defender (at club level with Paris St Germain)."

Cavallero may still have to convince his critics in a big match but he saved Argentina from embarrassment on Tuesday, making a fine diving save to beat out a fierce volley when the first string side were held 0-0 by FC Tokyo of the J-League in a practice game.