By Nick Aitken, PA International

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Imagine being Spanish and fearing Raul missing the World Cup, or French and dreading the prospect of Thierry Henry spending this summer on the beaches of the Cote d'Azur.

Then you understand how the Tunisian public felt when Adel Sellimi looked set to miss the finals after a row with then-coach Henri Michel.

While the Tunisians are expected by many to return home after the group stages, Sellimi is the icon of their team and a real goalscoring threat.

His refusal to play in a pre-African Nations Cup warm-up game meant he did not make the trip to Mali for the tournament, but maybe it was the disappointing performances there which have convinced Michel of his star striker's value.

Sellimi was absent as the fancied Tunisians failed to score in their group matches and exited at the first stage, and admitted he feared for his summer involvement.

Frenchman Michel brought him back into the fold for the March friendly against Norway though, in a move met with glee in the African country.

A goalscoring success in the German Bundesliga with Freiburg, Sellimi is the big fish in the small pond of Tunisian football and their best hope of upsetting the odds by reaching the second round.

The Eagles' key man made his name at the well-respected outfit Club Africain where he followed in the footsteps of his older brother Samir, a backbone of the successful CA side of the early 1990s.

However, it was the elegant Adel who was able to make the move into European football, joining French club Nantes shortly after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Sellimi made his debut for Tunisia in September 1993 against Germany and is now his country's most capped player, having made more than 70 appearances for the national team.

He first sprung to international prominence in the 1996 African Nations Cup, when Tunisia reached the semi-finals under the tutelage of Henri Kasperczak.

His talent was apparent to all at the Atlanta Olympics that same year when, as one of three over-age players in the Tunisian squad, he attracted the attention of Nantes scouts.

It took little time for him to become a crowd favourite at La Beaujoire, with his technique and tremendous engine that earned him the nickname 'Le Poumon' - 'The Lung'.

But a lack of goals, allied to intense competition for places from the likes of then-France internationals Patrice Loko and Nicolas Ouedec, meant Sellimi soon became a peripheral figure.

Spanish Segunda Division side Real Jaen offered the pacy forward the chance of regular first-team action in 1997 and he did not disappoint.

He turned in a series of accomplished performances which served once again to raise his profile among Europe's elite.

Sellimi moved to Freiburg and the Dreisamstadion in August 1998.

A meagre single goal in 30 league appearances in his first season counted against him, but coach Volker Finke kept faith.

The patience was repaid with 11 goals in 27 league appearances over the 1999-2000 campaign.

More of the same followed in the 2000-1 season, and Sellimi bagged another 10 goals in 26 Bundesliga games.

He linked up with national team colleagues Mehdi Ben Slimane and Zoubaier Baya to great effect, and the unfashionable side claimed a place in the UEFA Cup.

The Tunisians struggled at France 98, losing to England and Colombia before drawing with Romania as they went home early.

The draw offered more realistic hope for them to reach the last 16 this year though, with Russia, Belgium and Japan their Group H opponents.

Hopes of progression lie with Sellimi who has Michel to thank for his reprieve.

Michel is gone, but Sellimi will take some shifting from his position as the national team's greatest hope for the summer.