Socceroos' quick healer ready for date with destiny
Socceroos defender Alessandro Circati has opened up on the six-hour-a-day efforts he put in to make a swift return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, saying the hard work was all worth it so he could play against Japan this week.
More than 50,000 fans are set to descend on Optus Stadium on Thursday night to watch Australia's crunch World Cup qualifier against arch rivals Japan.
A win for the Socceroos would all but lock in their automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, but a loss or a draw would mean their fate would likely be decided in a high-stakes clash with Saudi Arabia in Jeddah next Tuesday.
Circati's hopes of appearing in this international window looked gone when he tore the ACL in his left knee while training with his Serie A side Parma in September last year.
Most soccer players who undergo a knee reconstruction take nine months or more to return.
Sam Kerr's current recovery is at a whopping 16 months and counting, albeit with another setback along the way.
But Circati was back for Parma by May 18 - just seven-and-a-half months after surgery.
The 21-year-old impressed in back-to-back 90-minute performances for Parma last month, convincing Socceroos coach Tony Popovic that the centre back was ready for another international call-up.
Circati, who is being touted as the next big thing in Australian soccer, revealed playing this week was a big driver during his rehabilitation.
"I was ready to play even earlier, but the club slowed it down rather than sped it up," Circati said in Perth on Wednesday.
"When you first get your surgery and start your rehab, they ask you, 'What's your goal, what are you trying to accomplish?'
"I said, 'Look there's two World Cup qualifiers in June, my goal is to be able to go there'.
"I'm lucky enough to be able to do that."
The road to an international recall wasn't easy.
"I was doing rehab six hours a day," Circati said.
"I didn't have much free time. I don't think I had a single day off, other than the break over Christmas and New Years.
"It was 9-12 in the morning, go home and have lunch, be back at 2pm and go until 5, 5.30pm.
"It's not easy. I wouldn't tell anyone that it's easy. You've just got to be determined to be back better than what you were before."
Boosting Australia's victory chances is the fact that Japan have named an inexperienced squad, given they have already secured World Cup qualification.
Overseas stars such as Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion), Daizen Maida (Celtic), Reo Hatate (Celtic), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg), Junya Ito (Reims) and Hidemasa Morita (Sporting Lisbon) are among the big names missing.
Nevertheless, Japan still boast plenty of talent and Socceroos striker Adam Taggart hopes Thursday night will become yet another famous occasion in Australian soccer.
"I think everyone knows the John Aloisi penalty," Taggart said, in reference to the spot kick against Uruguay that clinched Australia's qualification for the 2006 World Cup, ending a 32-year drought.
"It's replayed over and over again.
"I was trying to explain to my mum the other day that the game (against Japan) is a similar situation to that.
"The win puts us in a fantastic position to qualify.
"So to be able to have the chance to create something special like some of those moments that the whole nation has seen over and over again - like a John Aloisi penalty or a Josh Kennedy header - is really special for all of us."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The airline facing a double-whammy after Trump's bunker-busting
You've probably never heard of Mike Murphy – but he is the guy who was choking on his smashed avocado toast at about 9am on Sunday when US President Donald Trump dropped his massive ordnance penetrators on three Iran nuclear installations. Murphy runs the Australian arm of Bain, the majority owner of airline Virgin, which is set to list on the Australian market on Tuesday as the highest profile ASX entrant in years. Timing is everything for investing, and for Bain, the timing of the Virgin listing looks atrocious. Those investors who bought in pre-listing and who were looking to sell out immediately – for what are referred to as stag profits – may need to rethink. Airlines, in particular, are highly sensitive to any geopolitical conflict and they are even more vulnerable to those in oil-producing territories. Loading First, this is because the oil prices surges, and for airlines, fuel is one of the major costs. Second, international airline flights can be disrupted, redirected or in some cases, those that fly over affected areas will temporarily abandon services. Already, British Airways and Singapore Airlines have suspended a number of flights to the Gulf, affecting routes to key hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Bahrain, citing safety concerns and evolving airspace restrictions.
West Australian
4 hours ago
- West Australian
Michaelia Cash: Australia must stand up for its interests in the wake of US Iran strikes
The old adage that 'a week is a long time in politics' has been starkly demonstrated as an enduring truth with the significant world events that have unfolded recently. Israel has further exercised its sovereign right to defend its people and ensure the security of future generations. The Unites States strongly backed Israel with a series of precision strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. It appears the US strikes will end Iran's nuclear capacity for now. The Coalition supports actions taken by the US to ensure that the Iranian regime is stopped from acquiring nuclear weapons. We can never allow the Iranian regime the capacity to enact its objectives of the destruction of the US and Israel. The world can never accept a nuclear-armed Iran and acting now to ensure that is the case is the right thing to do. These events are a long way from Australia but have implications for us and the rest of the world. President Donald Trump left the G7 meeting in Canada early to deal with the situation in the Middle East. For Australia this meant a planned meeting between the President and our Prime Minister on the sidelines of the G7 was cancelled. Given the situation in the Middle East, the decision by the President to cancel the meeting is completely understandable but to the detriment of Australia. This was an important opportunity for the Prime Minister to seek assurances on AUKUS and protect Australia from tariffs. Given global volatility and the growing list of issues in our relationship with the US, this underscores that the Prime Minister should not have merely relied on meeting with the President on the sidelines of international summits. The Prime Minister should have been more proactive in seeking to strengthen this relationship — Australia's most important — and we encourage him to change his approach to advance our national interest. As Australians we must step up our engagement across the board with the US. President Trump won the US election more than 200 days ago and has held meetings with leaders from the UK, Canada, Germany, Ireland, France, Japan, Norway and South Africa. Our Prime Minister has only spoken to the President on the phone. On the international stage, Australia needs its leader to stand up for our interests so we can build a stronger Australian economy. President Trump's tariffs on our steelmakers are not in the spirit of our century-old partnership, nor in line with our 20-year-old free trade agreement. We urge the US administration to give Australia a fair go and remove the tariffs, as they have done for the UK. And we urge the Albanese Government not to compromise on policies that ensure affordable healthcare, bio-security, and a fair economic landscape for Australian businesses and families. It must not sell out our Australian farmers and producers. Success can not be achieved through putting our world-class agriculture at risk. In regard to AUKUS, the Coalition put it in place and we want it to succeed. But the fact AUKUS is under review by the Pentagon is concerning because any delay or downgrade in the US commitment will impact our future defence capability. The Prime Minister must seek assurances from President Trump to safeguard the AUKUS agreement. AUKUS is the most important strategic initiative Australia has entered into in decades. It provides the nuclear-powered submarines and technological edge we need to deter conflict and defend our sovereignty in a more contested Indo-Pacific. This is not business as usual. The Prime Minister cannot afford to be a bystander in our relationship with the US. Anthony Albanese must put Australia's case clearly and secure the commitments we were promised. We will always support bipartisan co-operation on national security, but that co-operation cannot mask inaction from the Government. The Coalition wants the Government to succeed here because that is in our national interest. Michaelia Cash is the shadow minister for foreign affairs
The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
eSafety boss reveals scale of ‘harmful' videos on YouTube, urges ban for children
Australian children will be banned from YouTube if the Albanese government accepts the advice of its online safety chief, whose research shows four in 10 young teenagers have been exposed to harmful content, such as eating disorder videos, on the platform. YouTube received an exemption from Labor's world-leading social media ban for under-16s after former communications minister Michelle Rowland, now the attorney-general, deemed it had a significant educational purpose. But eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, in formal advice delivered to new Communications Minister Anika Wells last week, said the carve-out should be removed because children were experiencing harm on the platform. The advice sets Wells up for a fight with Google, the tech giant that owns YouTube, just weeks into her new role or risk a continued fight from other social media giants including TikTok, Meta and Snap, who argue the exemption makes a mockery of the government's plans. It threatens to be controversial among Australian parents because of its popularity among children who use its Kids' platform to watch clips from groups such as the Wiggles. The minister plans to decide on Inman Grant's advice in coming weeks so that the social media ban can be launched by December. Inman Grant noted children would still be able to access YouTube without having an account. The eSafety Commissioner will tell the National Press Club on Tuesday that risks to children of early exposure to social media were becoming clearer in her agency's research, including on YouTube. 'Four in 10 children reported being exposed to harmful content on YouTube.' An Australian survey of 2600 children aged 10 to 15 found that 96 per cent of them used at least one social media platform, and about 70 per cent had encountered harmful content, including exposure to misogynistic or hateful material, violent fight videos and content that promoted eating disorders. Four in 10 children reported being exposed to harmful content on YouTube.
