By Ben Rumsby, PA Sport
Last updated April 4 2006
It seems more like a Hollywood script than the stuff of reality. The story has been told a hundred times: The ageing hero decides the time has come to put away his sword or turn in his gun and settle down for a well-deserved retirement.
But no sooner is his battle-scarred body metaphorically smoking that pipe and sitting comfortably in those slippers than he is presented with the opportunity for more adventure, one final shot at glory.
Pavel Nedved's timing could hardly have been more dramatic. Having failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups since gaining independence from Slovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic had toiled their way through qualifying Group 1 for Germany 2006, securing second spot behind Holland by the skin of their teeth.
A dramatic play-off against Norway, and potentially a hat-trick of World Cup disappointments, beckoned when 33-year-old Nedved - who had announced his retirement after the 2004 European Championships claiming his body could no longer "carry the burden" of international football - rode back into town. And in the most modern of Hollywood endings, the Juventus midfielder and former European Footballer of the Year not only inspired his team to the promised land but delivered the now-obligatory surprise twist.
After claiming his comeback was for the play-offs only, Nedved secured a sequel by suddenly announcing himself available for the tournament itself. But the script for 'Pavel Nedved: Part II' will be about more than the former captain of Czech football's golden generation.
For many of Nedved's peers are also approaching their sunset years, with this summer almost certainly their last chance to win football's biggest prize before being put out to pasture.
Nedved himself was so close to the perfect send-off at Euro 2004, until the Czechs became another high-profile victims of surprise package Greece in the semi-finals. Although, ironically, the then-skipper would have probably missed the final anyway after limping out at half-time thanks to the persistent knee problems that ultimately prompted his decision to retire. His withdrawal was arguably the decisive factor in the Czechs' elimination, and his absence during World Cup qualifying was keenly felt. | 
