Not since the early 2000s has this question been hard to answer, now that the days of Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka setting the Premier League alight with goals are gone, and that Tim Cahill is in the twilight of what has been an illustrious career.
One question plagues the mind of football fans across Australia; who is currently the nation’s top footballer?
There are many answers to this question, however I feel that they all play similar positions and could all potentially be the star of the team in the future. I’m going to commence this debate by that not since the 2006 World Cup have the Socceroos had a team full of players that are naturally gifted and technically inclined.
It is now time that we seek a new saviour, so I’ll look elsewhere from Tim Cahill. Before listing the three candidates, I note that the form and work of Mat Ryan deserves recognition. It is great to see a goalkeeper playing at such a high level against the likes of Messi and Ronaldo on a weekly basis.
Let’s be honest, though, the sometimes sad reality of modern day football is that the ‘best player’ is usually the one that either scores the goals, or in the case of the current Socceroos, creates them.
My three names are Tom Rogic, Aaron Mooy and Massimo Luongo.
All three are truly a joy to watch and thankfully for all fans of the Socceroos none have reached the pinnacle of their careers. They are all still under the age of 26.
In the global football community Australia and the Socceroos have always been labelled as overly physical, and sometimes even unskilled, but that is not the case with these three playmakers.
Each one is blessed with the key attributes that make a successfuly midfielder in modern football. A great first touch, sublime vision and technique and the ability to score goals when needed. The Socceroos will need midfielders that can score in the future, because it is evident that once Tim Cahill calls time on his international career the Socceroos will be left without a consistent goal scorer; a real concern.
Whoever replaces Cahill will just have to worry about putting the ball in the net because the service he will receive from these three players will be nothing short of world class.
Massimo Luongo burst onto the scene in the 2015 Asian Cup and was named as the player of the tournament, his high work rate in both halves of the pitch was a joy to watch, and his natural instinct to get forward was a major reason why the Socceroos went on to win that tournament.
Tom Rogic has been touted as the next big thing in Australian football for years now, and it is great to see that after some lengthy injuries and dips in form that he is finally playing consistent football for both Celtic and the Socceroos.
Aaron Mooy was undoubtedly the A-League’s best player last year, and while didn’t receive the award that he deserved he did get was a transfer to Manchester City. It was obvious that he was going to get loaned out, and a club like Huddersfield is a great place for him to take the next step in his development. Just like Luongo and Rogic he must move on soon.
Although Celtic and Queens Park Rangers are top clubs they simply cannot take our players to the heights they want to be at. Rogic has attracted interest from Arsenal and it would be great to see all three of them end up at clubs of that calibre in the future, just like other Socceroos have done in years gone.
Do these three have the same talent levels and potential as Kewell, Viduka and Bresciano? It is one thing to have talent, but it is another thing to nurture it and mould it into something world class. It is undoubtedly the biggest task that faces these three Aussie playmakers.
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Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
What if we celebrated all of the achievements big and small, and weeded out those hell-bent on bringing down a game that is doing a hell of a lot right?
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