Tony Popovic told us recently that some of the A-League players would get a real culture shock about the competitive, cut-throat nature of the game over in Europe. Did you experience that while you were there?
Definitely. Although we were all young players you could still sense it in the air. I was used to playing the little six-a-side games in training and having a bit of a laugh – obviously being upset when you lost but not taking it too seriously. But I remember one time in Italy I made a mistake in one of the little games and we ended up losing 3-2 and the guys on my team didn’t speak to me for about a week because of that. Just little things like that show you what a big step up you are making. Everyone is fighting for their position and a place in the team, so people aren’t going to be smiling and patting you on the back all the time. But that’s just the way it is. You really have to put yourself out there, show your personality a bit and then you’re more likely to be accepted by those around you. And when I was able to do that and get my confidence it was fine and I fitted in. Now I fit in great with the players – I’ve met some fantastic players and made some great friends during my six years in Italy.

After signing for Inter, you were sent out on loan to the lower leagues to get some match experience. By the sound of it, that’s been successful for you…
Yeah, it has. The first team I went to after the Olympics in Greece was SPAL, which is in C1, and I had no idea about the team – Inter just advised me to go there and get regular football which was good at the time. I went there and it took a little time to fit in, because sometimes I’m a shy person and my Italian maybe wasn’t as fluent as it should have been. For the first seven or eight games I just sat in the stands and then I finally made a decision to give it everything I had – if it didn’t work then I could go home or change clubs, but I made sure I was going to give it a real go.

I started training well and fitting in with the players and got a place in the first team. I ended up playing 25 games that season. The coach at the time – Massimiliano Allegri – moved to Grosseto and he wanted me to come with him, so that’s how I ended up there. Last year we won the league to take us to Serie B, which is the first time the club has been this high in Italian football. The last game of the season we had to win – there was one point between the top three teams. I had worked hard all season and
I don’t get to score many goals so for me that was an awesome feeling. I was in the right spot at the right time. It wasn’t the most beautiful of goals but when you score an important goal in a must-win game to win the championship, it doesn’t matter how it goes in. It was a great honour to be part of the team to take them to Serie B for the first time, and I really feel part of the city now.

How are the fans? Are they as rowdy as their Serie A counterparts?
They’re very passionate, although there’s not as many of them compared to the bigger clubs here. They travel all sorts of long distances to watch us play and give us lots of support. We had a party after we won the championship and we came into the stadium and it was packed. Pretty much the whole city was inside – it looked like the stadium was about to collapse! It was an awesome moment for me to win something like that – I can’t even imagine what it must feel like winning the Serie A or a Champions League final…

How’s the standard of football in the lower divisions in Italy. Is it all blood and thunder or do teams try and play proper football?
It’s definitely a war – every game is a war. Very few games we actually get to play at our pace and dictate the game. Honestly it’s a really tough league and it’s full of good players who maybe didn’t quite make it in Serie A, so they playing in Serie B. Grosseto are doing well considering it’s our first season in Serie B. Unfortunately we’ve changed a lot of players from last year’s team – there’s only four left – but the new players are settling in well and we all get along well off the pitch. For me that’s really important because being alone a lot of the time, they’re your mates. We’re where we want to be – we want to stay in Serie B and that’s our objective for the season. We went the first three games without a point and our president, who is quite a personality, sacked the coach but Stefano Pioli is now our coach – he coached Parma in Serie A and we’re doing quite well now. The team have always been behind me – they have bought me outright from Inter now and have made me vice-captain which is a great honour. I’m really happy here – I couldn’t think of a better place to start playing football in Italy.

Going onto playing for Australia, you were thrown into the deep end a little with your debut against China last year. Any nerves?
I was a little nervous. I remember looking at a photo of myself outside the changing room and I looked really nervous, looking back at it. But as soon as I ran out onto the pitch and thought about what I was going to do, the nerves went away. I was too focused to be really nervous. Some players do get nervous before a game but I just think about my job, what I have to do for the team and how I’m going to go about doing it.

I was lucky to get that chance because not a lot of players in the third league in Italy get a chance to play for the Socceroos. Mentally and physically I was ready to take my chance. The game is a bit of a blur when I look back on it. Normally the night of the game I’m up late and I can’t get to sleep because I’m thinking about all the mistakes I’ve made. I remember calling my parents to speak to them as it was something that I dreamed of and worked for my whole career. It was a fantastic experience and I’ll never forget that day… even if I can’t remember much of the game!