Celtic midfielder Aaron Mooy is hoping he and his teammate’s performances at the World Cup can inspire the next generation of footballers in Australia.
The 32-year-old is currently out in Qatar starring for the Socceroos, who have now played all three of their Group D games.
Despite a loss against France in the opening fixture, Graham Arnold’s side rallied together and produced two fantastic victories over Tunisia and Denmark.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mooy started his third game of the tournament and helped the Aussies to a famous 1-0 win over Denmark to achieve qualification from the groups.
It is only the second time that the nation has managed to achieve that feat, and the celebrations look to have brought the country together in support of the team.
Speaking after the brilliant victory, Mooy stated his hopes that he and his teammates’ performances at the World Cup would inspire the next generation of footballers in his homeland.
He said [Daily Liberal]: “Hopefully, it’s making other kids fall in love with it. That’s what the Socceroos have always done, inspire the next generation.
“And all the kids back home will be watching and see that we won and probably say, ‘I want to be a footballer’.”
After securing their place in the last-16 stage of the prestigious tournament, the Socceroos now face the task of coming up against Lionel Messi and Argentina, who were one of the favourites going into Qatar.
The Celtic midfielder is hoping that the short turnaround and the Australian team spirit can continue to inspire as they target another victory against a world-class side.
He said [The Courier]: “It’s a short turnaround for them as well. A lot will be about team spirit.”
Mooy set to face up against world-class talent; Aussies have shown their fighting spirit in Qatar.
Having already faced France in the group stages, Aaron Mooy and Australia have already been up against some world-class talent.
And that will be the same again when they come to face Argentina, with players from top clubs all over the world, including Lionel Messi.
However, I am sure the Socceroos and Mooy, in particular, will be extremely excited to put themselves up against a fantastic side, and they have already shown this tournament how their fighting spirit can pull through.
The Celtic midfielder has put in some fantastic performances in Qatar, and it has been great to see him play a pivotal role in his country’s success.
He won’t want his time at the tournament to come to an end just yet, with eyes on the quarter-final prize if they are able to produce a surprise upset against the South American side this weekend.
In other news, Celtic B stage dramatic late comeback as they return to winning ways.
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