Socceroos midfielder Cristian Volpato has opened up about the emotional turmoil that led him to turn his back on Australian football as a teenager, only to later reverse his decision and commit to representing the country of his birth.
Volpato, 22, was a surprise inclusion in coach Tony Popovic's squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers, marking a significant shift after he previously represented Italy at youth level. The decision to play for Australia followed years of internal conflict about his international allegiance.
Speaking at his first press conference since joining the Socceroos, Volpato described a childhood marked by disappointment. "Growing up in Australia and playing for the two best academies in Sydney, I got told from both of them that basically I'm not good enough to play," he said. This rejection left him in tears in his father's car, prompting a move to Italy in 2020 to pursue his football dreams.
"I've always wanted to go to Italy as a kid so I think it came out perfectly, to be honest," Volpato explained. "Because then straight after I just remember the car ride home with my dad, I was crying and he just said, 'Don't worry, we'll go to Italy now and we'll try it.'"
His mother, Claudia, supported the move by selling her shop and leasing their home to facilitate a trial in Italy. Volpato successfully made the trial, which marked a turning point in his career, leading to his signing with AS Roma and subsequent development.
"So I feel like I have to give a lot as well to Italy because they gave me a second opportunity and from there I also got picked for the Italian team first so I just accepted," Volpato stated. He notably declined an offer from then-Australia coach Graham Arnold to join the Socceroos' 2022 World Cup squad.
As recently as March, Volpato had expressed his commitment to Italy. However, a shift in perspective occurred around a match for his club, Sassuolo, against Parma in late May. "Just before the (World Cup) team list came out basically, a couple of days before," Volpato recounted. "It was actually after the game against Parma, when we played against Circati, and it was just something clicked and my heart said 'just go, I think you belong there'."
Volpato emphasized that his decision was heartfelt and not influenced by Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup or his omission from their recent squad. "Because for me it was just like 'I want to play for Australia,'" he said. "I felt like it was right. I felt like I could be myself and I can show myself here more."