All Whites' Stamenic aims to do late father proud

All Whites' Stamenic aims to do late father proudImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Marko Stamenic made his New Zealand debut in 2021ByGareth VincentBBC Sport WalesPublished1 hour agoMarko Stamenic was eight years old when he sat down alongside his father to watch New Zealand's most recent World Cup appearance.Sixteen years on, the All Whites are back at football's biggest tournament and Stamenic, now an elegant, powerful midfielder, will be at the heart of their team.Stamenic, of Swansea City, is set to join the small band of Kiwi footballers who have played at a World Cup when New Zealand kick off their Group B campaign against Iran in Los Angeles in the early hours of Tuesday morning.Tragically, his dad will not be there to see it happen.Nikola Stamenic, a key influence on his son's footballing career, died suddenly last October.In an emotional tribute at the time, Stamenic described his father as being "the best man I will ever know".A little over seven months on, the 24-year-old says he is always thinking of his father – and that there are "goose bumps every time"."I don't really think he's not with us, in a way," Stamenic says."I'm always thinking of him when I step on the field, whether that's for the national team or for Swansea."He had a huge, huge part in my life and all of our lives in my family and there is a huge hole in all of our hearts now."But I know he's watching from above and I hope we're making him proud."All Whites 'have quality' to progressImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, New Zealand are the lowest-ranked side at the World CupNew Zealand's Group G meeting with Iran is their first World Cup tournament game since 2010.Last time round, they went home after the group stage despite not being beaten in South Africa, where they drew with Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay.Stamenic recalls waking up early in the morning to watch t...