Schwarzer Weighs in on Volpato’s Socceroos Dilemma: “Don’t Close the Door”
Socceroos legend Mark Schwarzer has offered his perspective on young talent Cristian Volpato’s decision to repeatedly decline opportunities to represent Australia, suggesting the Sydney-born Italian youth international might one day regret his choices. However, Schwarzer, Australia’s most-capped player, firmly believes the door should remain open for Volpato to potentially wear the green and gold in the future.
Recently, Socceroos assistant coach Tony Popovic made a trip to Italy to meet with Volpato at his club, Sassuolo. The visit aimed to rekindle discussions about Volpato’s potential involvement with the Australian national team. Volpato, who was born and raised in Sydney and spent time in A-League academies before his impressive rise at AS Roma four years ago, had previously turned down a call-up to Graham Arnold’s squad for the last World Cup.
In his most candid remarks to date regarding his international allegiances, Volpato indicated over the weekend that he was “waiting for Italy.” This suggests that, similar to previous approaches from Arnold, Popovic’s persuasive efforts might be in vain, at least in the short term. While Volpato appears to be some way off representing the senior Italian squad, he has already featured for Italy across three different junior age groups. His career in Serie A continues to develop, potentially opening further avenues for an international call-up with the Azzurri.
Schwarzer, a hero of Australia’s iconic 2005 World Cup qualification penalty shootout victory over Uruguay, expressed his willingness to see Volpato don an Australian jersey should circumstances change.
“I don’t think you should ever close the door on anyone,” Schwarzer stated in Sydney on Thursday, speaking ahead of a reunion for the 2006 World Cup squad. “He’s Australian. You don’t reject someone coming in the border because they’ve decided to go and live in Italy, do you?”
He elaborated on his philosophy, highlighting the fluidity of players’ career paths and allegiances:
- Schwarzer believes that until a player has definitively committed to and represented another nation at a senior level, rendering them ineligible for Australia, avenues should remain open.
- He emphasised that individuals evolve, and their perspectives can shift over time. “One day, he may look back at it and think, ‘Maybe I kind of got that wrong a little bit.’”
- Acknowledging Volpato’s apparent preference, Schwarzer added, “But maybe his first love is to play for Italy, which is obvious, right? I mean, he’s got more chances of qualifying for a World Cup playing for Australia than he is for Italy. Let’s be honest.”
Popovic remained tight-lipped about future considerations for Volpato but appeared to have a clear stance on players’ commitment. “If that’s the choice he’s made, then I wish him well,” Popovic commented. “You have to want to play for the country – and if you do, then you will accept whatever is put in front of you and whatever journey it takes to get to that level, if you even get there, because that’s where you want to be. I think it’s quite simple.”
Schwarzer fully endorsed Popovic’s recent comments regarding Adrian Segecic, a former Sydney FC star who opted to represent Croatia. Popovic had stressed that he would not make promises regarding game time or allow the possibility of players switching nationalities to dictate squad selections.
Schwarzer also pointed to Australia’s success in attracting players who grew up elsewhere but chose to represent the Socceroos. He cited Ante Suto, born in Croatia, as a current example in Popovic’s squad. Suto only recently set foot on Australian soil for the first time, ahead of a potential debut against Cameroon.
“If you look at the 2006 side that went to the World Cup, how many of us had dual nationality?” Schwarzer mused. “What I’m saying is there are benefits as well, because we have lots of players that have just wanted to play for the Socceroos and only ever wanted to play for the Socceroos, and I certainly was one of them. And I think creating that sort of the mentality, the atmosphere, the expectation on players that we only want people that want to play for Australia, I think that’s really important.”
He concluded by reiterating his open-door policy: “And if sometime down the line, and he’s playing at a good level and decent level, and there is an opportunity maybe to bring him back involved, then so be it. Who knows?”
These sentiments were echoed by current Socceroos captain Maty Ryan, who earlier this week expressed his welcoming approach to players like Volpato or Segecic should they reconsider their international futures. “I don’t like confrontation. I respect everyone’s decision,” Ryan stated. “If it got to a point where a player like that will come in here, then you go ahead and accept them, and just try to make the team as strong as possible. It’s just part of the game. That’s the way it goes, the way it works with this dual nationality.”
Italiano Seizes His Moment: A Right-Back’s Ascent
In the dynamic world of football, timing can be everything, and Jacob Italiano is a prime example of this adage. His recent call-up to the Socceroos, coinciding with a remarkable hat-trick for Austrian club Grazer SK in their 5-1 victory over WSG Tirol, underscores this point perfectly. Prior to this explosive performance, Italiano had scored just one professional goal in his career. Suddenly, he netted three, including two sensational long-distance volleys, in a single match.
This timely burst of form has made his journey into the national team setup even more rewarding. “It makes the flight a bit shorter, and makes it a little bit more exciting to come into camp,” he quipped.
The current FIFA Series friendlies against Cameroon and Curacao present significant opportunities for players within Tony Popovic’s squad, but few stand to gain as much as the 24-year-old Italiano. A spot in Australia’s starting XI, and potentially a ticket to the World Cup, are now within his reach.
Italiano has been on the Socceroos’ radar for some time, even under former coach Graham Arnold. However, his debut only came in October, and it was a consequence of an injury to fellow right-sided defender Fran Karacic. While his form arguably merited an earlier call-up, fate intervened. Italiano had reportedly entered a club match feeling disappointed about his omission from the national squad, only to receive a message from a Socceroos staffer after full-time inviting him for a conversation.
“I was a little bit disappointed not to be called up, and then all of a sudden, you’re over the moon,” Italiano recalled. “The patience kind of paid off… I’m just really grateful to be here now.”
His performances in the national team have been impressive. Italiano started in Australia’s 1-0 victory against Canada, displaying a maturity that belied his limited international experience. He retained his starting spot five days later against the United States, where he was a standout performer despite the team’s loss. An injury ruled him out of the November international window, but he is now back in contention, and once again, the misfortune of teammates has opened a door for him.
Karacic has been sent home due to an ongoing foot injury, leaving Italiano as the only natural right wing-back available to face Cameroon in Sydney. Furthermore, Lewis Miller, who had previously been the first-choice in that position, has been ruled out of the World Cup with an Achilles tendon injury. This situation places Italiano in a strong position to make the right wing-back role his own.
“When I first read the news, you’re just devastated for him because I know Lewis… I played with him in the younger teams. He’s such a good guy,” Italiano said. “It was obviously devastating what happened to him. I kind of didn’t really want to think of it in that way, but obviously, football is kind of like that, and now I just need to make sure I’m doing everything I can in my power to stay fit and perform.”
Popovic expressed his desire to see more players seize opportunities in a similar fashion to Italiano. “That’s the beauty of giving players an opportunity with the Socceroos and putting them under pressure, which is not easy for the player,” he commented. “I’d love to find another Jacob Italiano, whether it’s that position or another position – someone that can come through and surprise everyone and then continue on with some really good form at their club leading into World Cup.”
