AT 35 and with a World Cup winners' medal on the mantelpiece, Youri Djorkaeff could be forgiven if he chose to sit back and live on the memories and the rewards of a glittering football career.

He could easily have done that six years ago when he helped France beat Brazil in the Stade de France to become Champions of the World.

Instead, he put the triumph behind him and set his sights on adding a European Championship medal to his collection, which he duly did two years later.

Unfortunately, the 2002 World Cup proved a bridge too far for Djorkaeff and Les Blues, who were eliminated at the first round stage, and it was no surprise when he announced his retirement from international football.

It was a rather reluctant, but genuine acceptance, that he could no longer perform at the very highest level, but his decision that summer to sign a two-year contract with Wanderers underlined the fact that, while his international days were over, he still had a burning ambition to win football matches -- an ambition he has shared with Sam Allardyce since they met for the first time three years ago and, which will be realised next month. when he plays in the Carling Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium.

It is amazing that Djorkaeff -- with all the glittering prizes he won with France, Monaco, Paris St Germain and Internazionale -- can get as excited as he does about a secondary domestic competition. But he knows what it means to Wanderers to have qualified for their first major final for nine years and, more importantly, what it means to Allardyce -- the man who took him to the Reebok and has kept him there.

"When I came here, I listened to Sam speaking about what he wants for Bolton, what he wants for the future and I thought, 'yes, not bad'!" he explained.

"He had ambition, maybe not with the money to buy players, but with a mentality to win something.

"The club shows me this ambition every day ... and this is important for a player like me to see that, every time, we want to win every game, That is important to me. That is why I enjoy being in Bolton. Every day they show me they want to play in the first table (Premier League) and that maybe they will be playing in the UEFA Cup in a few years. This is important for me."

There were howls of derision when, after the recent derby victory at Blackburn, which he inspired with his exquisitely-taken goal and majestic performance, Djorkaeff suggested Europe was within Wanderers' capability -- either through a high finish in the Premiership or via the Carling Cup. But, characteristically confident, he assessed the cup route with a Gallic shrug of the shoulders and the dismissive comment: "It is three games ... that is nothing!"

The smile was even wider on Tuesday night when he pointed out: "Just one game now ...!

And on the Premiership front, he sees no reason why Wanderers should settle for a mid-table finish -- not with the talent at their disposal and in the form they have shown this season.

"We have a consistency in our results," he explains. "Last year we would win one game, then lose two. This time we have some consistency and it is also important how we win. We did not play well at Aston Villa, we know that, but the first game was fantastic.

"That is great for the future."