Socceroos veteran Martin Boyle cut from World Cup squad again

Socceroos veteran Martin Boyle has released a short statement after his World Cup dreams were crushed for a second time in heartbreaking fashion. The 33-year-old attacker, along with fellow forward Brandon Borrello, defender Kye Rowles and goalkeeper Joe Gauci, were the four players cut from the squad, announced on Monday AEST.

For Boyle, it is the second time he will miss out on the World Cup. He was selected in the squad for the 2022 edition in Qatar, only to be ruled out due to a knee injury on the eve of the tournament. This time, the Scottish-born forward missed out, likely as a consequence of Cristian Volpato’s late defection from Italy and ultimate selection in the 26-man squad.

Socceroos coach Tony Popovic would not go into detail about how Boyle took the news, but the much-loved player posted a short statement on social media. “Left it all out there. Heart & soul,” he wrote on Instagram, along with a heart emoji. He also jokingly teased he will set his sights on the next World Cup in 2030 when he will be 37. “Here’s to 2030,” he added with an old man emoji.

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Boyle played a key role in helping the Socceroos qualify for this year’s World Cup, setting up the winning goal in a 2-1 triumph over Saudi Arabia that clinched Australia’s spot. Popovic acknowledged Boyle’s contribution, saying, “Look, I’m not going to go into how he took the news. That’s a private conversation that we had. But look, he knows he’s played an important role in getting here.”

Popovic pointed to Lucas Herrington, Awer Mabil, Tete Yengi and Volpato entering the selection fray late as proof the door was always open for new players — though that could be at the expense of stalwarts. “So that’s four players that had nothing to do with our campaign are now going to the World Cup,” he said. “So I’ve always kept the door open for everyone, and when you do that, it can cost someone that’s been through the journey a spot at the World Cup, and unfortunately for Martin, he was one of those players.”

Popovic said sitting down with the omitted players, as he had done with others earlier in training camp, had proved a difficult process. “Those discussions are never easy, and there’s no perfect way to give someone that type of news,” Popovic said. “Once they hear the news, how much they hear after that, I’m not sure really, in terms of whatever I say after that can be a blur to most of them. But they hear the news they don’t want to hear, and that’s the news that I have to give them. (They are) wonderful young men, professionals, have played a part in our journey in helping us qualify for the World Cup. So it’s tough for them, and they need to process that.”