Daniel Lopar was meant to shine at a World Cup, but is now starring for the Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers goalkeeper Daniel Lopar opens up on his World Cup pain and how his move from Switerzland to Sydney came about.
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It was meant to be the biggest stage for Daniel Lopar to play on and earn himself a place in Europe’s elite, but a freak injury changed the life of the Wanderers goalkeeper.
Seen as the best young goalkeeper in Switzerland, Lopar was ready to shine at the Under-20 World Cup in 2005 – a tournament that put the likes of Lionel Messi, David Silva and Sergio Aguero into a global spotlight.
His roommate coincidentally was Western Sydney teammate Pirmin Schwegler, and victory in the first game over South Korea left the Swiss team full of confidence ahead of a clash with Brazil… until Lopar badly injured his shoulder in training just beforehand.
“I didn't do everything right in my career, but this injury was definitely a bad moment,” Lopar says now of a setback that took months to recover from.
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“I was the first goalkeeper for Switzerland at this age, and the tournament was a big possibility to make a big step in your career.
“I played in the first game against South Korea, we won – and then I was injured. After that, people forget you, and you need to come back slow.”
By the time he was ready to play again, the world had moved on. Lopar never played for his country again, and forged a 13-year career with Swiss club St Gallen.
But having lost his place at the end of last season, a phone call from Wanderers boss Markus Babbel – who had coached against Lopar in the Swiss League – was particularly well-timed.
“Today, in my opinion players are very quick to change clubs,” he said. “If they don't play, they change, and that's not my style. I want to be a part of a club, be loyal. To me it's important to look in the mirror.
“But I was 13 years with St Gallen, and came to a point where I wanted to change something – just as this opportunity came along.
“My little girl is at the right age, two years old, to do this – after one or two years we can go back in time for her to go to school.
“Also Sydney is a great city, the club is well organised, and when the boss talked to me everything sounded good.
“The club is very ambitious, they want to win the league. I want to give my energy to help achieve this goal – but also to have fun, to feel the mentality and culture where I can give my best.”
Not a man to rush into a decision, Lopar called a player well known to A-League supporters after winning the Golden Boot here in 2014-15.
“I spoke to Marc Janko and he told me the city is great, the lifestyle is incredible and the league is growing up. There are many chances to have success,” he said.