Craig Goodwin

LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Do what it takes

Melbourne Heart 2012
Newcastle Jets 2012-14
Adelaide United 2014-16, 2018-

Socceroos debut: 2013

Goodwin’s family always believed in him and helped in any way they could. Even when he was flipping burgers to eke out a living on the fringes of the Hyundai A-League, no-one in his family ever doubted he would one day make it. But it probably did take longer than anyone really anticipated – or indeed should have done. He won man of the match on his Hyundai A-League debut for Heart and shone during his spell in the Hunter Valley, but struggled to force his way into the Socceroos under Holger Osieck. A return to his hometown and a two year deal with Adelaide United saw his form improve yet again and earned a move to Sparta Rotterdam, but after a change of boss there saw him frozen out, he returned once more to the Reds…and his game was at a whole new level. He has been in blistering form for Adelaide this season and probably should have been part of Australia’s Asian Cup campaign. A return to the green and gold is imminent though.

Mathew Leckie

LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Fear nothing

Adelaide United 2009-11

Socceroos debut: 2012

Leckie might only have been with the Reds for two years as a teenager, but he ripped up the Hyundai A-League during that spell. He burst on the scoring charts in fine fashion, scoring in both his first Asian Champions League games against reigning champions Pohang Steelers, then again against Shandong Luneng in the following fixture. There was no doubt about his talent. His powerful presence powering up the sidelines was a key feature of the Reds attack and was quickly spotted by overseas talent scouts, who snatched him away to the Bundesliga. Since then he’s featured at Borussia Monchengladbach, FSV Frankfurt, FC Ingolstadt and now Hertha Berlin. His Socceroos career has taken him to two World Cups and two Asian Cups where his influence and importance have actually grown as the years have gone on, despite increasing competition for his spot.

Daniel Arzani

LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: You’re never too young

Melbourne City 2016-18

Socceroos debut 2018

Possibly Australia’s favourite Socceroo right now, Arzani captured the heart of the nation with his aggressive runs at defenders, full of self-confidence and bravado that were actually backed up and matched by his ability and talent. In just a short series of cameos for Melbourne City, he created a massive buzz around his skills that led to a huge push for him to be part of the 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia. Every time he came on, the excitement cranked up a whole new level. In Kazan, tens of thousands of people sang out his name in one of his very first appearances in green and gold, such was the passion he stirred among fans. The performances earned him a switch to Manchester City and a loan to Celtic where he caught the attention of Scotland with his star turns for Celtic reserves. Disaster struck on his debut for the Celtic senior team though when he fell awkwardly just minutes after coming off the bench and ripped his ACL, ending his season and his hopes of making it the 2019 Asian Cup. He will be back though – and fans wait with bated breath to see him return to action to set games on fire again.