Maligned, underestimated and overlooked — and that is just the way we like it, according to the Socceroos’ most capped player.
Former Socceroo Mark Schwarzer made headlines last month when he came face-to-face with former professional player, turned US football pundit, Mike Grella, after the American had described the Socceroos as a “lay-up” for the US Men’s National Team during the FIFA World Cup.
Schwarzer then said the Australians preferred to let their actions on the field speak, and that is a view he still believes in.
Mark Schwarzer will be part of ABC Sport’s rolling World Cup coverage, previewing and reviewing all Socceroos games and with the team all the way through to the final.
In the well-publicised debate between Schwarzer and Grella, which was pitch-side at Wembley Stadium in London for US broadcaster CBS, the American even doubled down on his belittling of the Socceroos, stating: “If the USA can’t beat Australia in a football match, stay home.”
Speaking on the ABC Sport Daily Podcast World Cup Special, Schwarzer said the highly publicised comments from Grella were not a surprise, as the Socceroos were used to being underestimated.
“I just thought, ‘Typical. Doesn’t surprise me,'” the veteran of 109 internationals said.
“I’ve heard a lot of the talk leading up to it, in and around it. These days in media, there are people out there just trying to get clicks.
“We believe in our ability. We’re quietly confident about the way we can play football and what we can do. I don’t see it any differently. So it was a pretty easy one for me to confront and It’s just typical of a lot of people.”
The Socceroos have been drawn in Group D for the tournament, which starts this weekend.
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Australia’s campaign begins on Sunday at 2pm, AEST, against Türkiye, followed by the United States (June 20, 5pm AEST) and finally Paraguay (June 26, 12pm AEST).
The top two teams from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best-ranked third-place finishers, will advance to the knock-out phase of the 48-nation tournament.
Group D shapes up to be a competitive pool. Australia is ranked 27th in the FIFA world rankings, behind the United States (17th) and Türkiye (22nd), while Paraguay (41st) is the lowest-ranked in the group.
Despite Australia qualifying for the previous six World Cups and making the knock-out stages twice, the Socceroos still get overlooked, according to Schwarzer.
However, this often is the catalyst for some of Australia’s finest moments on the football pitch.
“People continuously write us off. We’ve had it all the time,” Schwarzer said.
“Australia always gets written off, and it’s great in some ways because I think that’s also what we like the most, and we often really surprise people and outperform what most people expect from us.
“When our backs are truly against the wall, that’s often when we come out fighting and we play our best football.
“I feel like it’s unbelievably good ammunition for the players.”
‘Completely committed’ Volpato should be judged on performance
The selection of Cristian Volpato is one of the biggest talking points in the Socceroos’ World Cup squad.
The 22-year-old from Camperdown in NSW had switched his allegiance back to Australia from Italy, where he had represented the Azzurri at youth level.
As a teen, Volpato turned down Graham Arnold’s pitch for him to be part of the Australian side for the 2022 World Cup.
But four years on, Volpato, who plays for Italian top-flight side Sassuolo, made the switch back to the Socceroos.
Schwarzer said on the ABC Sport Daily Podcast World Cup Special, he knew there was criticism of Volpato turning down the Socceroos in the past, but believed the young man should not be judged for taking time to make a very difficult decision.
“The guy’s a young kid, and there’s a lot of things being thrown at him, and there is also, internally within your club in Italy, he would’ve had a lot of pressure on him,” Schwarzer said.
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“Clubs don’t want players to play for Australia necessarily because of the travel that’s involved in it — it’s an enormous commitment.
“I believe Christian’s probably had a lot to deal with, and he’s completely committed, and he’s always said that.
“It’s been a massive decision, and it’s been a difficult decision, but not for the reason being that he doesn’t feel Australian.
“It’s more about just the magnitude of a decision.”
With Volpato’s mind made up and his allegiance firmly held in green and gold, the only thing he needs to be judged on is how he performs while representing his country.
“Christian has made that decision and it’s now about what he does with this chance,” he said.
“How does he respect the shirt? What does he do with his opportunity? How much passion, how much determination, how much desire does he show moving forward?
“That’s where he needs to be judged, in my opinion.
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