- Returns to Australia after 11 months of absence
- He was named Young Australian of the Year in 2023
- He hopes to bring leadership qualities to the team.
Australian Young Player of the Year Awer Mabil is transitioning from being a leader off the field to setting standards on it as he aims to secure his place in Socceroos coach Graham Arnold’s World Cup qualifying plans.
After being sidelined for four months earlier this year with a quadriceps injury, Mabil has found some much-needed form with his Swiss club Grasshoppers.
It is a resurgence that has seen the 28-year-old winger, who admitted he “doubted himself” during his time in Spain’s La Liga with Cadiz, be called up to the Socceroos squad for Thursday’s clash with Bahrain on the Gold Coast and next Tuesday’s battle with Indonesia in Jakarta.
Mabil’s most recent appearance for Australia was 11 months ago in a 1-0 defeat to England at Wembley.
The Socceroos have since played 13 games and Mabil, who also received limited minutes at the 2022 World Cup, said he had “missed it a lot”.
Awer Mabil has been called up by the Socceroos and is looking to make a big impression
The 2023 Young Australian of the Year wants to play a leadership role for Australian coach Graham Arnold
“But I’ve been following the guys and it makes me happy to see what they’ve been doing too,” he said.
‘It’s been a couple of years of a lot of learning. I don’t see the last two years as something I’m going to change, but rather as something I use as motivation to continue enjoying the process, the good times and the difficult ones.
“I’m going to do what I can to help the team. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Mabil admitted that at times he had been his own worst enemy in terms of his fitness and well-being.
“I’m more grateful for my health and I don’t take things for granted,” he said.
“That’s the most important lesson. I’m just present. I’m more present now than I was before.”
And that is also being ‘present’ for others.
Mabil’s generosity and caring nature are no secret: she was awarded the Young Australian of the Year award after co-founding Barefoot to Boots, a non-profit organisation that helps refugees with health, education, policy and gender equality.
Mabil has impressed a lot off the pitch, now he wants to live up to his potential on it too.
Mabil wants to work with wunderkind Nestory Irankunda as the Socceroos try to qualify for the next FIFA World Cup
His guidance also extends to his Socceroos teammates, including his “little brother” and another former Adelaide United winger, Nestory Irankunda, the 18-year-old former A-League prodigy who recently embarked on a career with German giants Bayern Munich.
As well as being together at the current Socceroos camp, the pair also crossed paths last month when Grasshoppers travelled to Germany to take on Bayern in a pre-season match.
“It’s been amazing to see his growth over the last year, but we also have to continue to let him grow,” Mabil said of the teenage sensation.
“He’s going to make mistakes, but we just have to be there for him. We just have to allow him to be himself and continue to express his talent.
‘He’s my little brother, so I try to give him the best advice I can.
“I told him (Irankunda): ‘Look around you, you have everything here. You are training with some of the best players in the world, so don’t be discouraged, work hard and try to pick up on their ideas. You can learn from each and every player. Anyone your age would do anything to be in your position.'”
