Matildas AFC Asian Cup winning captain Melissa Barbieri had no idea about the template the side would be setting for soccer.

Her willingness to push the Matildas agenda so far removed from today’s squad that are favourites to win the AFC Asian Cup in Jordan starting this weekend.

Former Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri with the AFC Asian Cup trophy at Sydney Airport in 2010.

MATILDAS Asian Cup winning captain Melissa Barbieri had no idea what sort of template the side would be setting for Australian soccer when she held the coveted trophy aloft in China eight years ago.

Barbieri, 38, took it upon herself to “sell” the massive achievement across the nation appearing on TV’s popular shows in 2010.

Her willingness to push the Matildas agenda is so far removed from today’s squad that are favourites to win the Asian Cup in Jordan starting this weekend.

The side is growing a legion of new fans, increasing participation rates for women and attracting increasing popular media coverage.

It is now by far the most popular international women’s team in the country, says the ex international goalkeeper.

Last year, however, Barbieri still had PR to do, taking Socceroos legend Tim Cahill to task on Twitter just days after the Matildas beat three-time FIFA World Cup champion the US 1-0 for the first time in history last year which made headlines across world.

“Now that I know what appreciation was like it kind of looks that way, that we weren’t appreciated,’’ said Barbieri who called her own international retirement on the Matildas after the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada.

“But in the football realm we were the first team to do it (win the Asian Cup), the Socceroos hadn’t done it, yet we felt like we made this massive achievement but no-one made a big deal about it.

“I did my best to get out there to get it publicised, I got to go in on Hey, Hey it’s Saturday and other TV shows but that was all through my own push.”

Not only was the 2010 Asian Cup win the first trophy that Australia had won in bounds of the Asian Football Confederation it was also the very real stepping stone for the Matildas ditching their amateur status.

The 23 players of coach Alen Stajcic’s squad in Jordan are now all regarded as professionals and Barbieri now believes the Matildas are under pressure to take out a second Asian Cup in Jordan starting with a clash against Korea Republic on Sunday morning in Amman.

“Now the girls have the added pressure of knowing that the public is watching,’’ Barbieri said after a 13-year international career from 2002 until 2015 earning 93 caps.

“It was good for us, it was low level pressure from the public but now they get an added pressure and I’m sure they’re capable of doing it, they’re all professional athletes.

“In 2010 all of us weren’t professional we didn’t have the W-League for a season.”

Barbieri still has hopes to continue playing in the W-League after a serious knee injury in 2016 while playing for Heidelberg in Victoria put her playing career in jeopardy.

She recovered from the set back after a long rehabilitation and was rewarded when Melbourne City called her in as a short-term injury replacement last November.

She is also Heidelberg’s women’s coach.