Babbel leaves door open

Stuttgart's former Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers defender Markus Babbel is considering ending his international retirement and returning to football at the highest level.

Babbel could land a place in Jurgen Klinsmann's squad for the 2006 World Cup should he recapture the form he displayed during his time with Bayern Munich and occasionally for The Reds.

The 31-year-old defender, who retired from national duty after his country's poor showing at Euro 2000, has returned to Germany, where he played for Hamburg along with the Bavarian giants.

"Never say never," said the Euro 1996 winner to Sport-Bild. "If I have a great year at Stuttgart anything is possible.

"I don't care if it's the German Cup, the Bundesliga title or the Uefa Cup, but I want to win at least one trophy this season," concluded Babbel, whose spell in England was overshadowed after nearly two years out of action due to illness.