Figo said that he had warned his teammates that the match against Iran would be like a final.

"It is going to be a very difficult match, because Iran know that if they lose, they go out," he said. "On the other hand, if we win, we will qualify for the next round. It is like a final for both teams."

The former Barcelona and Real Madrid player was also happy with his own form, which he seems to have regained at Inter this past season.

But he insisted that he had nothing to prove: “I do not have to prove anything to anybody. I am not at the end of my career. I am here to give my very best to the team, nothing less.”

He also insisted that the nightmare that was Korea-Japan 2002, when they failed to make it past the group stages, is well behind them: “We are only thinking about the present.”

When asked about the fitness of Christiano Ronaldo, he referred the journalists to the team doctor. However, he did later reduce the importance of the injury: “I believe he is fine, and could not train because of a minor problem."

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