The 25-year-old Canberra-born midfielder, who was one of Australia's bright lights in South Africa , insists the Socceroos senior players have a major role to play as the team moves forward.

"That's totally their decision but I hope some of them stick around," Valeri told AAP.

"In this tournament they really helped the younger players through.

"I was amazed by the leadership from every one of the older players and I hope they stick around as long as possible to guide us through (the 2014 World Cup campaign).

"If they're all to leave it would be very difficult."

Valeri, who is one of the emerging leaders of the Socceroos squad, continued he'd learned a lot from the experience in South Africa.

"The first game was a big shock - vuvuzelas going off everywhere, we copped a goal early and didn't react quick enough," he said.

"We did all we could apart from the game, but we did all we could to bounce back.

"There's a bit of disappointment but this is one of the most successful Socceroos teams ever and I'm really happy to be a part of it."