This Socceroos legend wants to keep the door open for Volpato despite snub

Socceroos legend Mark Schwarzer thinks Cristian Volpato could one day regret his decision to turn down repeated approaches to play for Australia, but says the door should never be closed on the Sydney-born Italian youth international.

Coach Tony Popovic recently visited Volpato at his club, Sassuolo, to discuss the prospect of him playing for the Socceroos after the 22-year-old expressed openness to doing so.

Volpato, who was born and raised in Sydney and spent time in A-League academies before his stunning emergence at AS Roma four years ago, turned down the chance to be picked in Graham Arnold’s squad for the last World Cup.

In his most clear-cut comments yet on his split allegiance, Volpato told reporters over the weekend that he was “waiting for Italy”, suggesting that, like Arnold, Popovic’s pursuit of him would be fruitless – at least in the short term.

Though Volpato would appear still a long way from representing the Azzurri at senior level, he has played for Italy at three different junior age groups, and could yet earn a cap if his career in Serie A takes off.

But Schwarzer, the most capped Socceroo of all time and one of the heroes of the famous penalty shootout win over Uruguay in 2005, said he would be happy enough to see Volpato wear an Australian jersey one day, should that come to pass.

“I don’t think you should ever close the door on anyone,” Schwarzer said in Sydney on Thursday ahead of a reunion of players from Australia’s 2006 World Cup team.

“He’s Australian. You don’t reject someone coming in the border because they’ve decided to go and live in Italy, do you?

“So until they’ve actually closed all doors in terms of [having] played for that nation and no longer eligible to play for Australia ... I’m a believer that everyone has different stages in their lives, have different thoughts in their lives. One day, he may look back at it and think, ‘Maybe I kind of got that wrong a little bit.’

“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 would not say whether he would consider selecting Volpato again, but appears to have taken a dim view of his stance.

“If that’s the choice he’s made, then I wish him well,” Popovic said. “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 said he fully endorsed Popovic’s recent comments on former Sydney FC star Adrian Segecic, who has chosen to represent Croatia, about how he would never make promises to players about game time or let the possibility of them switching to another nation govern how he selects his squads.

But he noted that Australia has also had joy with players who grew up in other countries and decided to represent the Socceroos. One such example in Popovic’s current squad, Croatian-born Ante Suto, has only set foot on Australian soil for the first time this week, and is in line for a possible debut in Friday night’s friendly against Cameroon at Accor Stadium.

“If you look at the 2006 side that went to the World Cup, how many of us had dual nationality?” Schwarzer said.

“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.

“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?”

Schwarzer’s comments echoed the view of Australian skipper Maty Ryan, who told reporters earlier this week he would welcome back any players like Volpato or Segecic if they changed their minds.

“I don’t like confrontation. I respect everyone’s decision,” Ryan said. “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.”

Right wing-back, right time: How Italiano seized his opportunity

Timing is everything in football, and few know that better than Jacob Italiano. And we’re not just talking about the hat-trick he scored just before he was called into the Socceroos.

Before his star turn for Austrian club Grazer SK in a 5-1 win over WSG Tirol, Italiano had scored just one professional goal in his career. Second, third and fourth came at once, and two of them were stunning, long-distance volleys.

“It makes the flight a bit shorter, and makes it a little bit more exciting to come into camp,” he laughed.

There are opportunities for everyone in Tony Popovic’s squad for the FIFA Series friendlies against Cameroon and Curacao, but few have a bigger opportunity in front of them than Italiano.

For him, not only is a ticket to the World Cup within reach, but a spot in Australia’s starting XI, too.

The 24-year-old has long been on the Socceroos radar, even under previous coach Graham Arnold, but only made his debut in October – and only because an injury to fellow right-sided defender Fran Karacic forced him to pull out, even though his form arguably warranted an earlier chance. Italiano had gone into a match for his club quietly seething that he wasn’t selected, only to see a message on his phone after full-time from a Socceroos staffer, asking if he had time for a chat.

“I was a little bit disappointed not to be called up, and then all of a sudden, you’re over the moon,” he said. “The patience kind of paid off ... I’m just really grateful to be here now.”

Italiano started in Australia’s 1-0 win over Canada, and performed so well it looked as if he’d been in the national team for years. So he started once more five days later against the United States, and was a standout, albeit in a losing side. He missed the November window due to injury, but now he’s back - and again, the misfortune of teammates is working in his favour.

Karacic has been sent home after failing to overcome a foot injury, making Italiano the only natural right wing-back in the mix to face Cameroon on Friday night in Sydney. And with Lewis Miller, the previous first-choice in that position, ruled out of the World Cup due to an Achilles tendon injury, he is in the box seat to make that spot 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 said he wanted to see more players seize their moment like Italiano has done.

“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 said.

“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.”