ALAMEDA, California — Over a journey that has taken him from crying in his father’s car after being cut from a second A-League academy, to playing in Serie A and at a World Cup with the Socceroos, Cristian Volpato has revealed he was torn between Australia and Italy until “something clicked” just a week out from the tournament.
Volpato, 22, stunned Australian football when he flew into Los Angeles to link up with the Socceroos on the eve of the FIFA World Cup, effectively ending a five-year-long saga that began when the Sydney-born attacker debuted for Roma and kickstarted an international tug-of-war between Australia and Italy. He subsequently made his debut in Green and Gold in a friendly against Switzerland, before impressing after coming off the bench in the Socceroos 2-0 loss to the United States and starting in their knockout-stage sealing 0-0 draw with Paraguay.
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“[He decided] just before the team list came out, basically a couple of days before,” Volpato said. “It was actually after the [May 24] game against Parma, when we played against [fellow Socceroo Alessandro] Circati.
“Something clicked, and my heart said just, just go; I think you belong there. I didn’t want to be 50/50. If I wanted to come, it’s because I wanted to come, and because I felt it was right. It’s been a long time, but I’m grateful that I made my decision. And it came from me, and it came from my heart. Some things may take longer than others; some people are different. But with me, I felt it was time, and I’m so happy I made the decision.”
At the time of his debut for I Giallorossi in 2021, it felt Down Under as if the Sydney-born Volpato had seemingly come from nowhere to start for José Mourinho. However, it was soon revealed that he’d formerly been with the academies of both Sydney FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers, only to be released by both.
The Sassulo attacker’s family decided to relocate to Europe and pursue trials with Italian clubs soon after, with his mother, Claudia, selling her cafe to help fund the expedition. Put onto the radar of then Roma U17 coach Fabrizio Piccareta, he was scouted at a youth tournament before undergoing an extended trial and, after impressing, signing a three-year deal. It was a second-chance at a professional career and left a mark on him.
“Growing up in Australia and playing at two best academies in Sydney, I got told by both of them that, basically, I’m not good enough to play,” Volpato said on Monday. “I just felt like it was my time; I’ve always wanted to go to Italy as a kid, so it came out perfectly.
“Straight after [his release from Western Sydney], I remember the car ride home with my dad, I was crying, and you know, he just says we’ll go to Italy now, and we’ll try it. My mum sold her shop, we leased our house, and we left everything just to go for a trial. We thank god I made the trial, and my life changed from there.
“I feel like I have to give a lot as well to Italy, because they gave me a second opportunity. From there, I also got picked for the Italian team first, so I mean, I just accepted it.”
Never capped by one of their Australian contemporaries and formerly represented by Italian legend Francesco Totti, Volpato had represented the Azzuri across multiple junior international age groups before his switch back to his homeland, and had stated on numerous occasions that, while he held affection for both countries, he was set on representing the former World champions. This happened as recently as March, when, after a visit by Australia boss Tony Popovic and assistant coach Paul Okon, he told local media that he was “waiting for Italy.”
“I was still thinking about my club football [when he said he was waiting for Italy]. Because I hadn’t gotten a lot of minutes, all the minutes that I’d liked, so I felt like staying in my comfort zone in Italy, just trying to get as many minutes as I could. I didn’t really think of making a change then.
“Then, just one day, I woke up, literally, and I just talked to my family. I said, ‘Mum, I want to pay for Australia.'”
The timing of Volpato’s switch coming so soon after Italy missed a third-straight World Cup and he was left out of a youthful squad called up by the Azzuri for June friendlies has been noted. And while he didn’t try to deny it hadn’t crossed his mind, he also denied it was a determining factor.
“Kind of yes and no,” he said when asked if this was a factor. “Because, for me, it was like ‘I want to play for Australia.’ Italy could have called me to the World Cup, and I would have been like, ‘But I just chose’. I wanted to play for Australia. I felt like it was right. I felt like I could be myself, and I can show myself here more.”
