Cristian Volpato has made his first World Cup start for Australia just weeks after switching his international allegiance from Italy, completing a rapid journey from squad outsider to starter.
The 22-year-old winger featured from the outset against Paraguay, having only joined the Socceroos squad on the eve of the tournament following a dramatic late turnaround. Volpato’s Australian passport had expired, forcing him to return to Sydney urgently to secure the documentation required to represent the country where he grew up.
The decision to switch
The former Italy youth international committed to Australia in late May following a club match against Parma, where Socceroos defender Alessandro Circati plays. “Something clicked and my heart said: ‘Just go, I think you belong there,'” Volpato explained.
His decision capped years of contact with Australian coaching staff and ended a complex journey that began in Sydney, where two football academies rejected him at age 16. “I got told from both of them that basically I’m not good enough to play,” he recalled. His mother sold her business to move with him to Italy, where he secured a place in Roma’s academy before progressing through Sassuolo and joining current club Fiorentina.
A link to 2006
Volpato now works under Fiorentina coach Fabio Grosso, the former Italy defender whose winning penalty against Australia in the 2006 World Cup remains one of Australian football’s most painful memories. Volpato’s former agent was Francesco Totti, who converted that spot-kick.
“My ex-agent was Totti, who scored, and then my coach is the one who won the penalty so it’s a bit like … you know what I mean?” Volpato said. He suggested the Socceroos could learn from the incident as they seek their first World Cup knockout victory. “They are also small details that can change a game.”
Winning over supporters
After facing criticism from some Australian fans during his time with Italy’s youth teams, Volpato has been embraced by supporters who now chant that he is “one of our own”. He was sent videos of the singing by his family following his decision to represent the Socceroos.