Henrique is definitely good enough to play for the Socceroos, according to Brisbane Roar teammate Shane Stefanutto.
But the veteran defender reckons Henrique’s citizenship papers might have come a few years too late for him to be seriously considered by national team boss Ange Postecoglou.
The Brazilian-turned-Australian forward’s stunning comeback from a long-term knee injury has sparked calls for the 30-year-old to be picked for Australia by Postecoglou, his former club boss in Brisbane.
Short of Tim Cahill, the Socceroos don’t have a dependable, go-to bench player who can come on and transform a game – as Henrique has done over the past two weeks, scoring crucial second-half goals in Brisbane’s win over Perth and their draw with Melbourne City.
“He’s definitely good enough,” Stefanutto said.
“That’s a great conversation point now, isn’t it – I love that he’s Australian, I think it’s great. I know the fans love him, us around the club, we all love him.
“For him to put on an Aussie jersey, that’s for him and Football Federation Australia to decide.
“But the way the squad looks now, Ange has blooded a lot of new players who seem to be younger to middle-aged.
“I don’t know if Ricky at the grand old age of 30 (would be picked) – maybe it’s four years late for him, I don’t know.”
Stefanutto said having previously recovered from a knee reconstruction, he could empathise with Henrique, who burst into tears in front of an adoring home crowd after scoring the winner against Perth.
“He’s just been phenomenal the last eight, nine months, he’s so positive and I’m so happy for him that he’s come on in two games and done really well,” he said.
“It’s a true credit to him. I don’t really care about Australia at the moment, to be honest – I just want him playing good footy for us.”
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