Massimo Luongo has announced his shock retirement from international football after deciding to put his English Premier League ambitions above the Socceroos’ bid for a second Asian Cup crown.
Luongo was in line to be selected in Graham Arnold’s squad for the tournament, which begins on January 12 in Qatar, and is arguably the most in-form Australian midfielder anywhere in the world at the moment.
Massimo Luongo celebrates with Robbie Kruse after scoring in the Asian Cup final against South Korea at Stadium Australia in 2015.Credit: Reuters
However, before he could be picked, the 31-year-old approached Arnold to rule himself out and informed him he would no longer be available for the national team.
After three years wrecked by injury and form issues, Luongo was at one point resigned to a return to Australia and had verbally accepted an offer with A-League club Perth Glory, but his fortunes have dramatically reversed this season. He has emerged as a key player for Ipswich Town, whose scintillating football has pushed them into second in the English Championship, making them one of the hot favourites for automatic promotion to the top flight.
Luongo is also out of contract at the end of the season and, had he gone to Qatar with the Socceroos, he could have missed as many as seven matches, potentially jeopardising his spot in manager Kieran McKenna’s starting team and therefore his prospects of another contract and a hefty bonus if Ipswich Town manage to secure a spot in the Premier League.
“This hasn’t been a decision I’ve taken lightly, but I’ve got to prioritise managing my body as my career goes on,” Luongo said in a statement.
“I’ve loved my journey with the national team and will always cherish the moments I’ve had in this jersey. I look forward to watching on now as this group of young players drive the Socceroos culture forward.”
Luongo, a former APIA Leichhardt junior, was playing for Swindon Town in England’s fourth division when he was plucked out of nowhere by then national team boss Ange Postecoglou for his debut in 2014.
He went on to play a starring role at the 2015 Asian Cup, scoring the opening goal in the final before being named player of the tournament and earning a nomination on the Ballon d’Or longlist. He was then selected in two World Cup squads (2014 and 2018) but did not get on the pitch at either tournament.
Frozen out of the national team set-up since the last Asian Cup four years ago, Luongo made his return when he came off the bench in Australia’s 2-0 win over New Zealand in London two months ago, and it appeared he was poised for a late-career renaissance for the Socceroos.
Instead, his unlikely international career has been brought to a premature end.
The situation is a window into some of the difficulties being faced by Arnold as he prepares to unveil his Asian Cup squad on Friday, with many of his European-based players being pressured or threatened by their clubs to not go. Those who do could risk compromising their place in their team’s pecking order upon their return and, like Luongo, are weighing up their choices.
Several players, including Brandon Borrello, Ryan Strain and Awer Mabil, have already been ruled out through injury, while World Cup hero Mathew Leckie (hamstring), Jamie Maclaren (ankle) and captain Maty Ryan (cheekbone) are under fitness clouds that could limit their involvement in the group stage.
Arnold has at least had one headache soothed, with the AFC’s 11th-hour decision to allow each nation to select up to 26 players for the Asian Cup instead of the usual 23 – although three will have to be excluded from the team sheet for each match.
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