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The final phase of the Socceroos’ World Cup preparations are about to hit overdrive, and Nicholas D’Agostino has revealed the conversations he sought with a national hero to prove he needed to feature in the spectacle.
Determined to cast aside an injury-riddled tenure in Norway, the striker arrived at the Brisbane Roar on a loan deal having helped deliver Viking FK their first league title in 34 years.
But the Gold Coast product was forced to the sidelines for the triumphant moment as he continued to recover from an ankle concern suffered while in Australian camp.
Socceroo Nicholas D’Agostino impressed against the United States in his last national outing.Credit: AP
That setback, coming after a star showing in the Socceroos’ 2-1 defeat to the United States in October, followed knee and shin problems which restricted his playing time in the Eliteserien competition.
Those problems, the four-time Socceroo believed, stemmed from playing on artificial turf his body struggled to adjust to, leading him to push his agent for an agreement which would get him back on grass.
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But in a candid discussion with this masthead, D’Agostino revealed he had been in regular communication with Socceroos coach Tony Popovic – his old mentor at Melbourne Victory – to ensure he was at the forefront of World Cup selection discussions.
“I just wasn’t playing as much as I’d like, and the artificial [surfaces] over there wasn’t helping my body. A lot of them over there are just used to it because they play on it growing up, but as a foreigner going over there it’s pretty tough for the body to try and handle it,” D’Agostino said.
“I’ve been in contact with Tony Popovic constantly. I’ve worked with him a lot in the past, and he knows what I’m capable of and what I can bring to that national team.
“It was just more so the fact I just need consistency in minutes, that’s the biggest thing. Before the last national camp I think I had a total of 300 minutes last season with the injury and lack of game time.
“I want to play 90 minutes back-to-back, back-to-back, week in week out, and put the ball in the back of the net as many times as I can. If I keep doing that, I think I’ll be in good stead to make that camp in March and … put me in the best spot to make that World Cup squad.”
D’Agostino confirmed his loan to the Roar was only through to the end of the A-League campaign, ensuring he would still be able to take part in Viking’s Champions League qualifiers after the World Cup in what would be the realisation of “another dream of mine”.
“The possibility of that is nice to think about as well, but my full focus is on Brisbane now day to day, and then obviously the long-term goal is those six months until the World Cup,” D’Agostino said.
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D’Agostino witnessed his first World Cup as a fan when Popovic and the famed golden era of Socceroos reached the final 16 2006, and came agonisingly close to featuring at the 2022 spectacle in Qatar where he was named in squads for the qualifiers only to miss out on the final line-up.
The 27-year-old will vie with a congested list of contenders for a place in the forward line come the June tournament, among them teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda.
Irankunda captured headlines when he became the second-youngest Australian player to score a hat-trick while playing for Adelaide United, before he then set an A-League transfer fee record upon his move to German powerhouse, Bayern Munich.
The 19-year-old has since been signed by English side Watford, where he has become a crowd favourite, and has been a Socceroos’ regular since his 2024 debut.
However, D’Agostino is relishing the challenge that awaits him to avenge his 2022 World Cup disappointment.
“Injuries have played a part and obviously the lack of game time, but now I’ve got back into those last couple of camps I’m as hungry as ever,” D’Agostino said.
“Obviously, I was a little bit disappointed not to make the last World Cup squad, but now it’s just driven more to put my best foot forward to make this one. There’s a lot of competition at club level wherever I am, and at the national level it’s even higher.
“It’s a lot of competition, but I love competition, so bring it on.”
D’Agostino will play his first game for the Roar, having previously donned the club colours 35 times between 2015 and 2019, on Saturday when they take on Adelaide at Suncorp Stadium.
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