Barrett’s career was cut short by injuries

Former Reggae Boyz captain and goalkeeper Warren Barrett says he was not disappointed at not receiving a contract to play overseas, following Jamaica's historic appearance at the FIFA World Cup in France in 1998.

Local players such as Ricardo Gardner, Theodore Whitmore, Ian 'Pepe' Goodison, Onandi Lowe, and Walter Boyd went on to play in England afterwards. But Barrett, who was a key part of the Jamaican team during the campaign, believes that the team's extraordinary qualification paved the way for the generations to follow, and he has no regrets.

'Not Disappointed'

"I was not disappointed. Coach (Rene) Simoes told us from before that most of the senior players would not get contracts but that we would open doors for future generations, and today, if you check the record, there are about 60 to 70 local players plying their trade abroad," he noted.

The former Violet Kickers 'shot stopper' was dogged by injuries for much of the 1998 campaign. He played with tendinitis in the knee, picked up a groin injury in 1997, and then had an old hip injury flare up early in 1998.

As as result, he decided to call it quits four years after the qualification at just the tender age of 29 when most goalkeepers usually last into their late 30s.

After the World Cup, he still had the injuries. He even had orthoscopic surgery on his knees but decided after the 2002 Gold Cup that he could no longer carry on.

"I just couldn't push my body, the injuries were taking a toll. I think I had more to offer because I stopped at 29 years. But I have no regrets. I had given my life to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in 1999, and God is a God of order.

"Before that, it was football, family, and God, but God flipped the script, and it became God, family, and football. So that hunger, love, and passion that I had for football was not the same. So walking away, I had no regrets. God know best," he said.

Jamaica lost their opening game at the 1998 World Cup 3-1 to Croatia and then 5-0 to Argentina. However, the Caribbean team closed out the campaign with a 2-1 win over fellow debutants Japan. Whitmore scored both goals.

Many believe there was very little Barrett could do to prevent the scores in the first two matches, but he believes otherwise.

"I was not pleased with my performance, personally, not finding excuses, but I had injuries, so almost every day after practice, I would be on the physio's table. Between March and late May (1998), I couldn't train. I was in the physio room more than I was on the field, so mentally and physically, I wasn't 100 per cent. But as a senior player and the captain of the team, I wouldn't use that as an excuse because I played through pain in tournaments before.

"After the first two games, I had the most saves, and my performance, for me, personally, wasn't bad, but my mental and physical state were not where I would have wanted, and that is what I was disappointed about. But I still had my experience, which I used to pull off so many saves after two games," he said.