Young Socceroo ‘Rocky’ seeks smoother times back home

[Pelican Press 0]

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Young Socceroo ‘Rocky’ seeks smoother times back home

Fresh from being crowned player of the tournament at the Under-20 Asian Cup, Alex Badolato is hellbent on using a loan move to Melbourne Victory to relaunch his club career and kick on even further.

Badolato was in red-hot form as the Young Socceroos clinched Australia’s first major trophy at any level in over a decade, scoring two goals and assisting three others at the tournament in China.

The attacking midfielder also converted his shootout penalty in the final against Saudi Arabia with an audacious panenka.

Badolato touched down in Sydney on Monday with his ***********-based teammates to a hero’s welcome and said: “It’s a real band of brothers we have here.

“It (the award) is not something you think about during the tournament, you just want to contribute to the team, and goals and assists are a way to do that.

“It’ll go on my bedside table in my new apartment in Melbourne. Hopefully it’s the first of many.”

Badolato’s performances were all the more impressive considering he has struggled to break into Western Sydney Wanderers’ A-League Men side, playing just twice this season, both times as a substitute.

The playmaker sealed a loan move to Melbourne Victory while in Young Socceroos camp and will relocate to the Victorian capital in the coming days.

The 20-year-old, nicknamed “Rocky” by his teammates because of his slight resemblance to Sylvester Stallone, is eager to bring his continental form back on to home soil.

“While I was away Victory instilled a lot of belief in me as well, which I’m very thankful for,” Badolato said.

“I was able to show that on the field, how confident I am.

“I knew pretty early in the window there were offers and I was pretty adamant on going to get some game time somewhere.

“A club like Victory is a great stepping stone, a big club, the most successful in the country, and it’s a really amazing opportunity.

“It’s a game of opinions. The Wanderers are a great team and there’s a lot of competition for places and that’s just the way football works.”

If he can finish the year strongly at Victory, Badolato knows he will be one of the first names on the plane for the Under-20 World Cup in Chile in September.

“This is a big 12 months for me personally, I think there’s a lot of opportunities,” Badolato said.

“Not only in the A-League, but also at the World Cup, and the World Cup is definitely something I want to work towards.”

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