Doha: Defender Bailey Wright has dedicated the Socceroos’ thrilling win over Denmark to his wife and his ill mother-in-law after receiving a heartbreaking text message just minutes after walking off the pitch in Qatar.
Wright was given his first taste of World Cup action off the bench, playing out the final 16 minutes as part of a five-man defence that held the Danes at bay as they searched desperately for an equaliser.
The 30-year-old, who plays for Sunderland, was choking back tears as he spoke to media in the mixed zone at the Al Janoub Stadium, revealing news to the world that he had not yet had the chance to break to his teammates.
“I’ve just come in from a message from my wife. I just want to dedicate this to my wife, bless her, and her mum. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure if she’s still with us,” he said.
“It was, for them, a really tough time back home, but ultimately, it made this possible for me to be here and live one of my dreams so I dedicate that to Tammy. I hope she’s still with us.
“No one [in the team] knows. That’s something I’ve kept to myself; we’ve all got a lot going on. Job to do, isn’t it? You’ve got to be professional all the time.”
Socceroos defender Bailey Wright received some sad news immediately after Australia’s history-making win over Denmark.Credit:AP
Wright’s story encapsulated a gritty performance from the Socceroos — and indeed, a difficult four-year qualification process that got them to Qatar against all odds, and through pandemic-related difficulties that few other nations had to face.
“When we set out on this journey four years ago, Arnie said to us what he wanted us to be about — our mateship and togetherness is what’s going to make us create history,” he said.
“I think the four-year journey, sacrifices that staff and players have made — a lot of people wouldn’t have seen those sacrifices, people isolating, being away from family for weeks, months. There’s a lot of people that aren’t here that have put that work in.
“But we’ve always felt a sense of togetherness that your mate’s got your back. It’s 11 brothers out there, whoever comes on, and it’s pretty special to be part of that. When you’re part of something like that, it’s difficult to really, actually put it into words, what it feels like. It’s a real feeling.
“We’ve proved that we like doing things the hard way, because we know that we’ve got each other … That’s pretty incredible.”
Bailey Wright
“A few of us have said now that that feeling kind of won the game today, and we’ve got through the group. And I’m kind of not surprised. Well, we’re not surprised, because we knew what we were capable of.
“We’ve proved that we like doing things the hard way, because we know that we’ve got each other and we’ll always have each other’s backs and that’s pretty incredible.”
Wright was part of Australia’s 2014 World Cup squad but never got on the field. While he was involved in the win over Peru that sealed their qualification for this tournament, he has had to bide his time, sitting behind Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles in the team’s centre-back pecking order.
“It’s pretty special,” he said. “This is my second World Cup and to get on is special, but had I not gone on, achieving what we’ve achieved [would have been just as special] — a lot of that performance and the rewards you see now has been an effort over four years of not just people that are here, lads, staff, there’s a lot that have been on this journey.
“And I guess that’s really for everyone that’s made sacrifices throughout the four years and have made this possible, and making the nation back home pretty proud. I’m sure that they’ll be having a pretty good time back home.”
