Junior Italy international Cristian Volpato has flourished since switching his football allegiance to the Socceroos, saying he feels he can develop more as a player after his late inclusion in the World Cup squad. The 22-year-old winger, who grew up in Sydney but was rejected by Australian academies, made his first World Cup start against Paraguay and looked dangerous down the right flank.
Connections to Italian Heartbreak
Volpato's career has been shaped by figures responsible for one of Australia's greatest football heartaches: Italy's 2006 World Cup round-of-16 victory over the Socceroos, decided by a controversial penalty won by Fabio Grosso and converted by Francesco Totti. Volpato's ex-agent was Totti, and his former coach at Sassuolo was Grosso. “I spoke to Grosso, he just remembers he didn’t even know what he was doing, he felt a bit of contact, he went down. They got the pen, Totti, and he just shot as hard as he could, he said,” Volpato recounted.
Late Inclusion and Passport Drama
Volpato's inclusion in the Socceroos World Cup squad was a surprise and almost didn't happen. His Australian passport had expired, forcing him to dash back to Sydney on the eve of the tournament. “Thank God, and I’m thankful to the people at the passport place who helped me get it quickly,” he said. He made the final decision to switch allegiances in late May after a match between his club and Parma, where Socceroos defender Alessandro Circati plays. “Something clicked and my heart said: ‘Just go, I think you belong there,’” Volpato said.
From Rejection to Italy
Volpato was rejected by two Australian football academies at age 16. “I got told from both of them that basically I’m not good enough to play,” he said. His mother sold her shop to move with him to Italy, where he secured a place in Roma's academy. “Thank God I made the trial and my life changed from there. I feel like I have to give a lot as well to Italy because they gave me a second opportunity.”
Online Trolling and Fan Support
Before switching to Australia, Volpato faced online trolling from Socceroos fans who felt he had neglected the country he grew up in. “I’m human like everyone else, I’m addicted to my phone like 90% of the people as well in the world. There’s going to be good things [said about you], there’s going to be bad things, but I feel like as a footballer, you’ve just got to be resilient, and sometimes you can use it as fuel as well,” he said. Now, Socceroos fans have a chant declaring him “one of our own”, which his family sent him videos of. “I felt like it was right. I felt like I can be myself, and I can show myself here more,” Volpato added.
