Heinze says he's fit to start in WC

Herzogenaurach (Germany): Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze says he has won his battle to be fit for the World Cup.

He is a virtual certainty in central defence in Argentina's opening Group C game against Ivory Coast in Hamburg on June 10.

Heinze cut it very fine, though, with only one competitive outing since September when he damaged ligaments in his left knee in a Champions league match playing for Manchester United.

"I'm smiling, I know how hard I worked and I never lost sight of my objective which was to play again so I could be at the World Cup," Heinze said.

"I'm simply going to show my team mates and the medical staff and the coach who believed in me," he said in an interview at Argentina's World Cup training base outside Nuremberg.

"I don't have to show Manchester (United) or their manager anything. That's something else."

United manager Alex Ferguson doubted back in March that Heinze would be fit to play in the tournament in Germany.

Heinze played in two reserve games for United after coming back and sat on the bench in their final Premier League games.

"It was a complicated injury, I never thought I'd make it even though I had an objective and a stimulus to keep fighting," said the 28-year-old.

"The truth is that many times it crossed my mind that I wouldn't play again this season."

Before leaving Buenos Aires last week, Pekerman said he needed Heinze fit for the Ivory Coast debut to line up alongside the even more experienced Roberto Ayala in the centre of Argentina's defence.

Ayala, 33, won his 100th cap in Argentina's 2-0 win over Angola in their warm-up friendly against Angola in Salerno, Italy last Tuesday.

It was a 29th cap for Heinze, a late-comer to international football who made his Argentina debut in a friendly against Libya in Tripoli in April 2003.

"You think you're never going to recover. Only in the fifth month do you see things a bit more clearly," said Heinze, adding that playing Ivory Coast would be no easy ride.

"They're very strong. We can't take anything for granted. We're wary because they are good players. They have players in the best leagues in the world."

The battling defender said he had no fear of a tough group that also includes Serbia & Montenegro and the Netherlands.

"I like playing against the best and that's what you get in a World Cup, which is the best (stage)."