Goodwin’s rise is, in some way, a validation of the current Australian football development system (though he feels the Aussie youth system from aged nine to 14 falls short). 

The South Australian has gone from NPL to A-League, to Europe and the Socceroos over the last 10 years. 

Now, at 28, he’s one of the breakout stars with four goals and eight assists for surprise packet Al-Wehda, who sit third in the Saudi Pro League. 

The Saudi league’s quality - they allow a staggering seven foreigners per side, many of them the highest of class - goes largely unnoticed by many Australian fans. 

A pity as it’s at a level and overall quality which is comparable to the J-League and K-League. It’s a view the Socceroos winger agrees with after his first season at one of the less-heralded clubs in Saudi. 

“Playing away to Al-Hilal, it’s an amazing stadium. It’s like Europe. Holds about 30,000. It’s the best atmosphere I’ve played in since arriving in Saudi," he tells FTBL from Adelaide today. 

“The crowd, it’s like Europe.

"They’ve got the best Saudis and add to that the likes of former EPL striker Bafetimbi Gomis, Italian star Sebastian Giovinco, and Brazilian Eduardo.

"These players are on a lot of money. They dictate the tempo and possession and you have to work extra hard to defend against them. 

“They could compete with big teams in Europe

“And across the league, they have the resources to bring in some amazing players. And with high-quality coaches, you get a mix of tactics and variety in how we play, in comparison to many Australian teams.” 

Goodwin and Brazilian midfielder, 31-year-old Anselmo have been the prime movers for Al Wehda, cannily managed by Uruguayan coach “El Crespo” Jose Daniel Carreno. 

“When I’m making certain runs, Anselmo he has that high quality to be able to find me.
 
"I think both of us contribute a lot to the team which has helped us get to third in the ladder. But it’s a good squad all round.” 
 
The club is ostensibly from Mecca but they live and train in the coastal city of Jeddah and play their home games at a stadium on the outskirts of Mecca, a city that has great meaning to the Muslim faith. 

Training is in the evenings so Goodwin and his fiancé Katelyn, a nurse, spend their days exploring the scenic coastal spots’ cafes and restaurants of Jeddah. 

His fiancé, however, wears the traditional Muslim wear for women, an abaya, when she’s in public.

And with the new tourist visa, some family members have been able to visit the pair. 

“In general, it’s not that much different from what we’d do in Australia. We often go for a walk along the water," Goodwin says of life outside training. 

They arrived back in Australia after six weeks of lockdown in Jeddah. 

The couple subsequently spent two weeks in quarantine in a small Melbourne hotel with just two 15 minute walks outside per day. 

Goodwin and his partner then returned home to Adelaide where they are currently in day five of self-isolation. 

It’s been tough but with living in Saudi without their family and friends, it’s made the couple even stronger. 

“It’s been a little draining,” added the Socceroo, capped five times. 

"But we got through a lot of Netflix and got on each other’s nerves sometimes!” 

Meantime, he’s on a training program set by Socceroos head of S&C, Andrew Clark. 

Goodwin is due back in Saudi in August with the league set for a one-month pre-season before finishing off the competition (they’ve played 22 rounds) from September.

Leaving his home state SA, working part-time at a Melbourne KFC while launching his NPL career with Oakleigh under current J-League assistant coach with Japanese champions Yokohama, Arthur Papas, Goodwin’s career has been about staying focussed. 

A prime example is in recent months when Goodwin missed an open goal for his club. 

It garnered wide coverage (“My dad told me it made news in Adelaide” he notes). A week later, Goodwin smashed a brace. 

The winger didn’t make the cut for Adelaide United’s youth team for two years in a row. And was cut from the SA state team earlier as a junior. 

“The setbacks test your mental capacity,” he says. 

“But it also shows how driven you are, they challenge who you are as you ask yourself, ‘is this what you really want?’”

He adds: “Footballers are human, we make mistakes,” stressing that his much-publicized tap-in miss should’ve been put away.

However, he provided an assist in the same game. “Most strikers around the world, the top players, they’ve all missed easy shots. 

“That’s how it is with social media and media in general. Funnily though, when I scored the two goals a week later, there wasn’t a peep.

"But it’s how you respond that matters."