ACCORDING to Abel Xavier, silverware is not the be all and end all of professional football. Fifteen years of playing for some of the biggest clubs in Europe have taught him that.

In the earlier days of his career, he was part of a Benfica side that celebrated title glory in the Portuguese league but, despite spending a number of years playing in the Champions League, that remains his only winner's medal.

Xavier turns 33 in November and, considering he has also had spells at Liverpool, Everton, Galatasaray, Roma and PSV Eindhoven, it is surprising that has been his only major honour.

For that reason, with his career entering the twilight zone, you would have expected Xavier to be more determined than ever to help his latest employer, Middlesbrough, succeed in the UEFA Cup this season, with tonight's second leg with Greek side Xanthi next on the agenda

Instead, the gregarious defender, with his bleached blond hair and goatie beard, insists he is more concerned about making Boro a formidable European and Premiership force, rather than a trophy-winning one.

With 35 caps for his country and appearances in World Cup and European Championship finals, Xavier has gone beyond dreaming and chooses to be realistic, rather than materialistic.

"I have won something before but it's not important to win silver, it's more important to be part of a successful team," said Xavier, who recently suggested his new club would win the UEFA Cup within the next two seasons.

"Last year I was abroad (playing with Roma in Italy) and everyone spoke of the great run Middlesbrough had in the UEFA Cup. They surprised everyone and everyone knows this year Middlesbrough can have a huge impact in this competition.

"It is like the situation Liverpool found themselves in a few years ago. They couldn't win anything, then they won the UEFA Cup and everyone knows what happened last season in the European Cup. They didn't think it was possible and Middlesbrough are at a similar stage.

"At the moment they are trying to do well in UEFA and they will eventually have a major impact in Europe - by winning it or by playing in the Champions League. The management want that and I want that. Playing in Europe is what everyone wants."

As well as league glory during his time at Benfica, Xavier also reached a Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1994 - the same year Arsenal overcame Parma in the final of the competition in Copenhagen.

He went on to play in England with Everton and Liverpool. Even when he was forced to leave the Premiership, playing in Turkey, Italy and Holland, a return to this country's top tier was always high on his wish list.

One thing has surprised him more than anything else since signing for Boro in the summer on a free transfer, how quickly the club's supporters have turned on the manager and team.

A crowd of fewer than 15,000 turned out to witness the first leg against Xanthi, while the supporters who witnessed Boro's 2-0 reverse at the hands of neighbours Sunderland at the weekend turned against McClaren.

Xavier has called for calm and patience. He said: "When you work well sooner or later you have success. Teams in the past have built for success, like Valencia, and managed to do it. They were mid-table in Spain not too long ago and, after working properly, they are achieving success.

"We have a great manager, great facilities, great supporters and if everyone can stick together we can achieve something. Everyone wants immediate success but that's not always the case."

But Xavier, who spent a year in Turkey with Galatasaray after leaving Liverpool, has called for his team-mates to guard against complacency against Xanthi this evening, with Boro two goals up.

The Xanthi Arena may only hold 7,500 but the defender expects the sell-out vociferous home support to be a major influence on events, as both teams try to seek a place in the group stage.

"We must respect the Greek team. European teams approach games differently to Premiership teams, as we saw in the first game," he said. "Respect is one thing and being afraid is another. We can't go there thinking about league positions.

"We will have a very difficult atmosphere. I played in Turkey and it will be very similar. Everyone knows it will not be easy to go to Greece."

However, Xavier knows there will be precious little he can do to counter disgruntled supporters if Boro fall at the first hurdle tonight.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.