Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Chasing a third World Cup berth Milos Degenek only knows one way to pay Tony Popovic back for his faith in him: doing everything he can to make sure the Socceroos win.
And that includes shifting his life from his comfort zone in Serbia to a fresh test in Cyprus – just five months out from the World Cup in North America.
Degenek is firmly in the selection mix as one of Popovic’s versatile defensive options and ready to seize his opportunity.
“These things are things you dream of,” Degenek told AAP.
“There’s moments in my life where I sit back and say, ‘well, I’ve been to one, I’ve been to two, and I could potentially go to three’ and I think this third one is the cream of the crop.
“Because I’ve never felt more proud of the team than I have now, and I’ve never felt more love of a team and of the staff and of the players than than what I have now.”
Popovic has hailed Degenek as a surprise success story, given he at one point never expected to call upon him amid an 18-month injury battle.
The defender re-emerged as a regular and captained Australia for the first time against New Zealand.
“He’s very special to me, and he’s someone I don’t think there’s a way I could pay him back,” Degenek said.
“The only way I could pay him back is on the field – to do everything I can to win, to make him happy with my performance.
“He’s done something for me that no other coach with the national team has done. He’s given me the opportunity to be here. He’s given me the opportunity to wear the captain’s armband and to play regularly.
“It’s not respect, it’s not love, it’s something beyond that.
“Long after I finish my football career, he’s someone that I’ll always look up to and someone that I’m always going to call and I’m always going to ask for advice. It’s hard to put into words what someone like him has done for me.”
Determined to maintain his own high standards, Degenek, 31, gambled on leaving Backa Topola for Cypriot powerhouse APOEL Nicosia.
“It’s a big move purely based because I think the Cypriot League is a lot better than the Serbian league,” he said.
“It’s a lot more of a challenge for me personally. I went to the biggest club in the country, went to a club that’s got European aspirations.
“And I went there on the basis of trying to get as much games as I can and in a league that’s a lot better than where I was.
“Obviously I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and push myself to be even better, to be even more prepared for the World Cup, which is the end goal.”
Tuesday night marks Australia’s World Cup send-off match against tournament debutants Curacao.
Degenek hopes there will be a “full house” at AAMI Park in Melbourne to farewell the Socceroos in style.
“The last two World Cups I’ve been to, we had to go through playoffs. This is obviously a way better experience, because we get to focus on the World Cup itself,” he sad.
“The last one (in Qatar) was fantastic, and this one gives us a lot more chance to prepare even more and to have an even more successful World Cup.”
