Recalled ‘Roo aims for another World Cup

Milos Degenek is targeting a third FIFA World Cup after being thrown a Socceroos lifeline by national coach Tony Popovic.

The 30-year-old defender was a surprise selection in Popovic’s 26-man squad for Thursday night’s clash with Saudi Arabia in Melbourne and next Wednesday morning’s battle in Riffa against Bahrain.

Capped 45 times for Australia, Degenek hasn’t played for the Socceroos since September last year and only recently returned to football for his Serbian club Red Star Belgrade after being sidelined for eight months with a heel injury.

“It has been very tough, having surgery, (and) having a lot of setbacks,” Degenek said.

“It’s a big credit to myself and my family for sticking in and always saying it will work out and being positive.

“The way my life has been so far, nothing has been really easy or given to me.

“A lot of it is hard work and hard-earned, but that’s the way life is, and that’s the way it should be.

Degenek was born in Knin, Croatia in 1994, but being part of the country’s Serbian population, he and his family fled the then war zone in 1995 during the Croatian War of Independence, seeking refuge in the Serbian capital of Belgrade.

Further turmoil led to a six-year-old Degenek moving to Sydney with his family in 2000.

“The opportunity that Australia gave us was to settle down, find jobs and basically start life again. It’s like we were newly born,” he told News Corp Australia in 2016.

“I want to give back to Australia as much as I can, hopefully through success and winning.”

That success would include qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Degenek was part of Australia’s 2018 World Cup squad but didn’t get on the park in Russia.

Four years later in Qatar, Degenek made four appearances for a Socceroos’ World Cup outfit that reached the round of 16 before being beaten by eventual champions Argentina.

“I want to go to another World Cup,” he said.

“I want to help the country get there, I want to help the boys.”

Degenek has enjoyed being reunited with former Socceroos defender Popovic, who took charge of the national team in September following the resignation of Graham Arnold.

“Running into each other for the first time in 12 or 13 years, we had a nice little conversation,” he said.

“I met the ‘boss’ when I was starting my journey (in 2012) in Europe, in Germany.

“It was a really nice moment, me knowing him as a footballing legend in Australia, and at that stage, I had no idea that one day he would be the Socceroos coach and I’d be one of his players.

“It makes it even more special. He’s got big things planned for the Socceroos.

“I believe that his dreams and his desires will be fulfilled here, and I think us as a group and a nation will follow his footsteps and make things happen that have never been done before.”