Osieck has generally been considered a left-field appointment but Lowy was in no doubt that the former Urawa Red Diamonds coach had the golden touch needed for the job.

The ex-Canada boss beat off the challenge of seven other FFA shortlisted coaches for the Socceroos job.

The FFA Chairman was upbeat when speaking from Slovenia this afternoon: “It wasn’t how famous he was, it wasn’t his history.

“What kind of person he is, how he gets on with the team, what contribution will he make to the game, how he will fit in and so on. So I think these were the criteria other than being a big name.”

And Lowy said he admired the potential of Osieck to help grow the game in Australia from a technical viewpoint.

“Holger readily accepted to do the educating job in Australia for his coaches – in particular his two assistants,” said Lowy.

Osieck added: “A couple of the criteria that made the FFA hire me was that I could as well give some advice and pass on my experience to develop the coaches [in Australia].

“I’m not super-human but I could probably contribute to the development of the game at youth level.”

Osieck added that he didn’t consult his good friend Franz Beckenbauer, saying he made his own decisions.

But Lowy added: “I can tell you a secret… I consulted Franz before we appointed him.”