Cristian Volpato's Journey to Socceroos Debut Against Switzerland

Cristian Volpato has spent years living between two footballing worlds. On Saturday in San Diego, he finally chooses one.

The Sassuolo attacker is poised to make his Socceroos debut against Switzerland at Snapdragon Stadium, ending a long, very public tug-of-war between the country of his birth and the country that fast-tracked his rise.

For a long time, Italy looked like the winner.

At 18, while at Roma, Volpato turned down Graham Arnold’s offer to join Australia’s 2022 World Cup squad. Earlier this year, he was still talking about waiting for a senior call from the Azzurri after representing Italy at youth level. Australia kept asking. He kept saying no.

Then the World Cup came back into focus — and the equation changed.

“Obviously, playing in a World Cup for your nation is something unreal,” Volpato said in a video interview released by Football Australia. Italy won’t be there. Australia will. The chance was suddenly real, immediate, and on his doorstep.

He admitted that, as a teenager, the pull of Italy and the comfort of what he already knew held him back.

“Playing for Italy also was good and amazing,” he said. “But maybe when I was 18, maybe I was a bit too young, and maybe I was a bit too scared to make the change straight away, so maybe I was in my comfort zone a bit, playing for Italy.

“Something — I don’t know — in my heart just said, ‘I think it’s time to come home.’”

That line will resonate in Australian football circles. Two years ago, Volpato became a lightning rod for frustration about dual nationals and missed opportunities. Now he walks into camp as a potential game-changer on the eve of a World Cup, and as a symbol of a different kind of win: patience.

Tony Popovic, in charge while Arnold is away, made it clear he would not beg. Conversations were long, honest, and, crucially, not one-way. Volpato also leaned on a close friend who knows exactly what this decision feels like.

He and Alessandro Circati, his Parma mate and fellow Socceroo, shared the pitch on the final day of the Serie A season as opponents. Off it, Circati kept pushing.

“He was trying to convince me, and I was like, alright, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come,” Volpato said.

The internal debate never really left him.

“I’m Italian and I’m Australian, so it’s actually been a big decision that’s always been in my head 24/7 for quite a while,” he said. “It’s really hard because it’s like people want you to choose something, one or the other.

“But it’s been hard and, obviously, I do feel Australian, so it felt really good coming in, being brought in by the boys, and speaking English — Aussie.”

Popovic confirmed on Friday that the 22-year-old is “fit and available” to face Switzerland and expects him to get minutes, after Volpato arrived too late in camp to feature against Mexico. The staff have pushed him hard to catch up physically; Popovic says he now looks the sharpest he has since landing.

Inside the group, any noise about his late switch has been quickly pushed aside. Midfielder Connor Metcalfe brushed away a question about whether there had been any issue with Volpato’s change of allegiance. The message from the dressing room is clear: he’s here now, he’s one of us, let’s get on with it.

Volpato, for his part, is not easing himself in. He wants to make a mark, and he knows how Australia are viewed on the world stage.

“Obviously people are writing us off a lot because we’re Australia, but I believe in the group, I believe in the coach, I think we’ve got a really good team, so hopefully we can shock a lot of people,” he said.

He won’t be the only fresh face. Striker Tete Yengi could also debut in what will be Australia’s final friendly before the World Cup. For Popovic, this is the last live rehearsal before the curtain goes up.

The conditions in San Diego are no accident. A midday kick-off, a quick exit from the city straight after the game — it mirrors the Socceroos’ second group match against the United States on June 19 (June 20 AEST). Same rhythm, same heat, same squeeze on recovery.

“A good dress rehearsal, good last hit-out for players to get minutes in before the big dance in front of us,” Popovic told AAP.

Switzerland provide the right kind of test: a hardened European side with enough quality to expose any slackness, just days out from Australia’s World Cup opener against Turkey on June 13 in Vancouver.

For Volpato, though, the opponent almost feels secondary. This is about a shirt, an anthem, and a choice finally made.

He once turned down a World Cup with Australia to chase an Italian dream. Now he’s back, chasing the same tournament in green and gold, trying to help a team the world still underestimates.

If the talent that dazzled Italy’s youth ranks turns up in San Diego, Australia’s “comfort zone” might be about to shift as well.