England captain Rio Ferdinand admits he will be "very disappointed" if he never plays in a major tournament final for his country.
Speaking to The Guardian, defender Ferdinand outlined his captaincy credentials and predicted he would offer a mix of the attributes possessed by the likes of Bobby Moore and Tony Adams.
Although Ferdinand will miss the match against Egypt due to injury, he is set to lead Fabio Capello's team at the World Cup in South Africa this summer and told the newspaper: "You don't play just to get a cap or to be there. You play to win and to achieve something, and if I was to finish my career with England and not even to have got to a final, I'd be very disappointed."
The 31-year-old believes England have been guilty of getting "caught up in the hype and euphoria" surrounding the national team in previous tournaments.
He also suggests there is plenty to learn from England's experience at the 2006 World Cup, and says the current players should be able to cope without the company of their partners and children for the duration of a summer tournament.
Ferdinand said: "The whole circus that followed the England squad last time at the World Cup was a joke, and I wouldn't like to see that again. It's a distraction and is detrimental to our chances.
"I'd rather go to the World Cup, say to yourself 'Block off four weeks or whatever it is to win the World Cup', and not see your family. I love my kids and my missus as much as anybody else, but if it meant me winning the World Cup and not seeing them for four weeks, I'd take that."
The former West Ham and Leeds player was handed the England captaincy after the allegations surrounding John Terry prompted Capello to strip the Chelsea skipper of the international job.
There will be plenty of focus on how Ferdinand takes to the task ahead of him, and he is aware people will be analysing his style of captaincy.
"Tony Adams was a shouter; Bobby Moore led by example. They were two different types of captain, but both were successful," Ferdinand said. "I do a bit of both. I lead by example, but when somebody needs to be told I never shirk that responsibility."
Source: PA
