Sacrifice in Italy laid foundations for new Socceroo Chris Ikonomidis

Being locked inside a Serie A training ground has been the making of Chris Ikonomidis.

Chris Ikonomidis in action against Oman in a warm-up game before the Asian Cup. Picture: Getty Images

It’s hard to fathom that 2½ years ago Chris Ikonomidis was locked inside a Serie A training ground, trapped by the sheer volatility of Italian football but also learning lessons set to inform his Socceroos awakening.

The Sutherland Sharks product was then 21 and pursuing the ­European football dream, but he also experienced the steep ­demands and punishment that came with losing a game.

More than once with Lazio and then on loan with Serie B side Salernitana, Ikonomidis was restricted by club hierarchy to the training ground for an entire week, forced to train, eat and sleep until the next game, when players earn their freedom with a win.

On one of those occasions his parents had flown in to visit him but had no choice but to wait until their son was released to actually see him.

Even then, the forward wouldn’t change a thing.

As harsh and ultimately absurd such practices seem, it was all part of a baptism of fire in a football-mad country that would equip the Perth Glory standout with both the technical skills and mental ­resilience to become one of the Socceroos’ Asian Cup keys.

“It had probably the biggest ­influence on my career, my time in Italy,” Ikonomidis, 23, said. “I went there when I was 16 and only came back a couple of months ago.

“You could say all my youth ­development over there, everything I learned, was the Italian style — whether it was technically, tactically or mentally.

“I feel like I grew a lot going over there and it was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. The main thing that it gave me, apart from my skills, was the mental strength.

“I moved over by myself and had to sacrifice a lot to follow my dream of becoming a professional. The stuff I went through in Italy is definitely helping me today. It keeps me more calm and a little bit more centralised in all my thoughts.”

Having shone on another loan stint with Western Sydney last season, the permanent move to Perth offered “a breath of fresh air” under coach Tony Popovic, who’s “kept me on my toes” and provided the stability Ikonomidis craved.

The result is six goals and two assists from nine A-League ­appearances this season, with no signs of slowing down.

It was enough to earn Ikonomidis a Socceroos recall for the Asian Cup defence in the United Arab Emirates, and he has already begun to repay Graham Arnold’s faith with a maiden international goal in Sunday’s 5-0 friendly thrashing of Oman.

“I’m not going to lie and pretend it’s not special,” he said. “To know that you’ve scored for your country, it’s something you dream of as a kid.

“I think it’s a confidence thing, a maturity thing. With this system with this coach, he gives us players a lot of freedom — especially the attacking players — to express ourselves and do what we feel comes natural to us.

“That really suits my game well and it can get the best out of me.”