Asian Cup 2015: Massimo Luongo has the talent and attitude as his Socceroos journey takes off

Tim Cahill and Massimo Luongo are so much alike that it is almost scary and if Luongo doesn’t cut it, it won’t be through lack of talent or attitude.

ONE of the good things about being a sportswriter is seeing the careers of top sportspeople up close from go to whoa.

On average, it takes about 12 years.

You get to interview them when they are kids, just taking their first steps into the spotlight. It might be before their first top grade match, or even before that, when they are stand-outs at school.

You see them develop from shy teenagers to media-savvy superstars, through the ups and downs, victories and controversies. You ghost-write their columns and maybe even their biographies, and you are there when they retire amid tears and cheers.

For them, that part of their life is over. For you, there’s always another kid about to start along the same road. Sometimes, they intersect, like is happening in the Asian Cup right now with Tim Cahill and Massimo Luongo.

They are so much alike that it is almost scary. Cahill’s father is Scottish, his mother Samoan. Luongo’s father is Italian, his mother Indonesian. They both learnt the game in Australia before trying their luck in the UK. Striker Cahill worked his way up from lower division Millwall. Midfielder Luongo is currently with League One side Swindon Town but attracting interest from higher league clubs.

I never got to interview Tim Cahill when he was beginning his journey. He was already a star with Everton by the time I became aware of him, but I’ve followed him enough since to know that he is right up there with the best footballers Australia has ever produced, in any code.

Even now, as he embarks on what will probably be his last international campaign, he is still one of the most dangerous players on the park. His goal against The Netherlands in the last World Cup is still being talked about by English commentators.

If Luongo doesn’t reach the heights that Cahill has climbed in his career it won’t be through lack of talent, or attitude.

In the 40-odd years that I’ve been doing this job, the way that up and coming athletes deal with the media has changed a lot. In the old days it wasn’t the done thing to appear confident, for fear of coming across as cocky or arrogant.

Not so now. Some call it Generation Y. I prefer Generation Why Not? As in, why shouldn’t I be playing at the top level against the best in the game? I’m as good as them, just younger.

That’s how Massimo Luongo was last year when I spoke to him in London a couple of days after he came on as a replacement in a Socceroos outfit dusted by a Belgium side featuring some of Europe’s best players such as Vincent Kompany and Axel Witsel.

“If you play a big name player I’m not too excited about it really,” he said. “I think of it as a test. You know it’ll be a bit more difficult to what you’re used to, but if I had a League One defender on me or Kompany or Wistel, I wouldn’t change what I do. There might be different outcomes, they might tackle me when I try things, but I wouldn’t change how I approach the game.”

It could have sounded ridiculous coming from a 21 year-old kid who was still to make his starting debut for Australia, but he was so honest and without guile that it was actually endearing – and impressive. Here was a kid who is confident in his ability and willing to back himself.

Someone prepared to play his natural game and see where it takes him.

Chances are, it will be a long way. Just like Tim Cahill.

Check back in 12 years.

Originally published as Asian Cup 2015: Massimo Luongo has the talent and attitude as his Socceroos journey takes off