On a nomadic career path that began when he left the Melbourne suburb of Heatherton at 15 for England and curls through Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and now Italy, Socceroo Ajdin Hrustic has had many coaches.
One at Schalke 04 in Germany preached a kind of parable with props. “He put out 11 sticks and he tied them up, and he put one stick on the right,” Hrustic said. “And said, ‘I want you to realise something’.
Ajdin Hrustic.Credit:Getty Images Europe
“No one knew what he was talking about. One of the boys said, ‘there’s 12 sticks out there’. He said, ‘there’s 11 sticks – this stick is a team – and there’s a stick which is individual. Eleven sticks is always going to be stronger than one.’”
Oh. Kay.
It’s a rendering of the message the coach Graham Arnold has hammered to the Socceroos throughout this campaign, and they to themselves. It’s the collective that counts. It’s about what the Socceroos can do, not what their star-studded opposition might.
“Denmark has many good players …” a questioner began, before Hrustic interjected in a voice that brooked no argument: “So do we”.
Ajdin Hrustic warms up before the Socceroos’ win over Tunisia.Credit:Getty Images
Relenting a little, he said: “They’re a great side, no doubt. I just see us as a family. Graham Arnold has put that into our head since day one. He gives us boys energy on and off the pitch, and each day we get to spend more together, we get stronger and stronger.”
Personally, Hrustic has needed extra strength. Having established himself in the Socceroos midfield, he feared his World Cup aspirations were dashed when he landed awkwardly on an ankle while playing for Hellas Verona in Serie A last month and heard a crack.
Ajdin Hrustic at training in Doha.Credit:Getty
“I was going, please no,” Hrustic said. “I thought it was going to be worse than what it was. Thank God it wasn’t.”
Rehab kept him off the pitch for about a month. “When I went out on that pitch [again], I realised how much I love football,” he said.
He and Martin Boyle were the invalids in camp. Boyle, now ruled out of the tournament because of a knee injury and surgery, has been tasked with keeping the camp buoyant.
“How he’s still smiling and being so positive is unbelievable,” said Hrustic. “Because if it was me, I wouldn’t be able to smile. Seeing and experiencing what he has, his attitude is unbelievable.”
Hrustic learned resilience from a young age. Recalling the twists and turns through 11 changes of club, he said: “Every little journey I picked up 5 per cent. I kept it always in my back pocket. I always tried to make the best of myself.
“The sun doesn’t always shine. I’ve had to work. I don’t take anything for granted.” That is why injury on the eve of the World Cup hurt so much, he said.
He wasn’t quite fit to start against France in the first match, but came on a sub in the rousing victory over Tunisia. Hrustic said that infused confidence, personally and in the squad.
“It shows how good we actually are,” he said. “We believe in each other. I knew the boys were going to do great against Tunisia. I think we could have put one or two more in against Tunisia.”
Denmark await, with the Socceroos in the rare position of needing only a draw to advance to the round of 16. Denmark must win.
Hrustic said it was vital that Australia were not lulled. “If you go into a game with a mindset that a draw’s enough, it can be a long 90 minutes,” he said. “The mindset we have against Tunisia, we pressed as much as we could, we always had pressure on the ball, which means they had less time to think.”
But he did concede that if the score was still 0-0 at 70 minutes, the Socceroos would have to be smart. “0-0 is still good. You’re still in the game,” he said. “We’ll have in the back of our heads as the game progresses that a draw is enough.
“But we won’t put too much pressure on ourselves. We shouldn’t forget that playing in a World Cup is also something you should enjoy. Nothing is guaranteed, it’s every four years. If you go in with positive mindset, good energy, you’re going to get good result.”
