Ange Postecoglou has pulled off a major coup, convincing Greek striker Apostolos Giannou to switch his allegiance to Australia.
Giannou, who is the second-highest scorer in the Greek Super League with 13 goals, has signed for Chinese side Guangzhou R&F and expressed his intention to play for the Socceroos.
“Australia would be better for me as a footballer, to play for them and to give them everything I can and to bring the best out of me,” Giannou told Fox Sports.
The striker did appear in an international friendly for Greece last year, but is still eligible to play for Australia.
Should he turn out for Australia in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers in March, Giannou will then be tied to the Socceroos for the rest of his career. In an ironic twist of fate, Giannou could then end up facing his former international side when Australia meet Greece in a friendly series in June.
Giannou was born in Greece but raised in Melbourne, and played for the Victorian Institute of Sport, Oakleigh Cannons and South Melbourne.
He was also part of the Australian Under-17s squad coached by Postecoglou before he returned to Greece, but the prospect of linking up again with the Socceroos boss is an appealing one for the striker.
“The politics here are more than usual, I know that Australia has been going upwards since Ange took over,” Giannou said.
“You don’t need to say much. The thing about Ange, which I appreciate, is he didn’t push me to play for Australia. He wanted to see how my mind was and how I thought about it.”
Despite the sudden change of scenery, Giannou says he is looking forward to the move to Asia.
“I think it’s time for me to move on. I’ve been wanting to get out of Greece to play internationally in other countries,” he said.
“If it didn’t happen in Europe, I think Asia is the next big thing.”
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