In football, as in life, timing is everything. Whether it's a change of career or the swing of a golf club, the better the timing, the better the outcome.

Had Honduras qualified for the 2006 World Cup, David Suazo would have been one of the most feared strikers in Germany. Four years on it seems his dream will be fulfilled in South Africa but Suazo is no longer The Panther beloved of Cagliari and the pride of a nation.

So good was Suazo, he was named Most Valuable Foreign Player in Italy for 2006, an award he shared with Brazilian maestro Kaka. The accolade was well deserved. The season immediately prior to the World Cup was his most productive to date, yielding 22 Serie A goals and three more in the Coppa Italia.

No trip to Germany for Suazo

Sadly for Suazo his national team wasn't up to the task. Despite his five goals Honduras failed to qualify out of the CONCACAF region for the sixth consecutive cycle. Undeterred, Suazo was the top scorer for Cagliari again the following season, saving the Sardinian club from relegation.

His goal scoring exploits for club and country did not go unnoticed and a tug of war for his services between the Milan giants ensued in the summer of 2007. To the chagrin of AC Milan, Suazo snubbed the European champions to join Inter Milan. His career has never been the same since.

His one full season with Inter produced just eight goals. A loan spell in Portugal with Benfica followed and now, at the age of 30, Suazo is back in Italy but clearly does not figure in Jose Mourinho's plans. He is currently on loan at Genoa but has a mere three goals to his credit as the World Cup looms large.

Injuries along the way haven't helped his cause but Suazo is in danger of becoming the forgotten man as he prepares for the pinnacle of his professional career. He has started only a handful of games since the turn of the year at a time when he needs to be playing and scoring on a regular basis.

Fortunately for Honduras, unfortunately for Suazo, national coach Reinaldo Rueda has others cards up his sleeve. Carlos Costly and the evergreen Carlos Pavon led the CONCACAF final qualifying scoring charts and, barring injury, look certain to lead the line against Chile on June 16th

Competition for spaces

Rueda will surely take Suazo to South Africa but with a maximum of four striker spots on his roster the coach has some tough decisions ahead. Jerry Palacios, older brother of Tottenham midfielder Wilson Palacios and the versatile Walter Martinez are just two alternates currently in his thoughts.

Suazo was something of a pioneer in Europe for his compatriots to follow. Honduras is becoming a fertile and relatively inexpensive source of talent for an increasing number of European teams and Suazo's success in Italy certainly turned heads and opened doors.

As a result younger players like Wilson Palacios, Maynor Figueroa and Suazo's cousin Hendry Thomas have become well known, well paid players in the English Premier League. They, along with veteran captain Amado Guevara, are all certain starters in South Africa.

For David Suazo, 2010 may be his only chance to play at the World Cup. The timing is not ideal but if he can recapture the goal poacher's instinct and make his experience count, Honduras' return to soccer's top table will win more admiring glances from scouts and fans alike.