exciting<\/a>. It changes a lot, you never know. You never know in 90 minutes, imagine in one only career.<\/p>\n\u201cThat little kid would be surprised but I know I made the right decisions in my career.<\/p>\n
“I'm proud. It's an honor to play against Australia. It has nothing to do with 'Oh, he couldn't play for Uruguay.' No, no, no. I'm so happy to be here, I have Australian children and my son was born in Melbourne. There are many reasons.”<\/p>\n
Even allowing for the madness of football, it's pretty remarkable how one can bring even a tangential end to the careers of Fornaroli and Su\u00e1rez. For a time, the former was favored over Su\u00e1rez in Nacional's youth teams, alongside Martin Cauteruccio in attack while the latter came off the bench. But ultimately Su\u00e1rez's talent, despite a somewhat eccentric reputation, allowed him to rise above his academy peers and earn a call-up to the Nacional first team, before joining Dutch club Groningen the year next.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuis and I spent a lot of time together,\u201d Fornaroli said. \u201cFive years sharing the same dressing room and playing together, we were both number 9 and we have good memories together.<\/p>\n
“We are close friends and I am very happy to see him and what he has done for football. Not just for Uruguay or for every club he plays for, I think about what he has shown to the new generation. I think he's a top player. and I know him as a person and he's even better.”<\/p>\n\nAt the age of 12, Bruno Fornaroli met Luis Su\u00e1rez on a bus en route to Montevideo. Who knew the footballing journey that awaited the two players. Jonathan DiMaggio\/Getty Images | MAURO PIMENTEL\/AFP<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\nFornaroli would make his debut for Nacional's first team under Daniel Carre\u00f1o in the same year of Su\u00e1rez's departure, then move to Italian side Sampdoria after two good seasons. This is where the similarities between the two friends would end, at least temporarily, as Fornaroli failed to hit the ground running in Europe like his compatriot did. Instead, after stints in Italy, Argentina, Spain, returning from Nacional, Greece and Brazil, Fornaroli eventually found himself in Australia, playing in the men's A-League with Melbourne City in 2015, a competition in which he started scoring and simply never scored. stopped. He is now the third highest scorer in the 19-year history of the competition.<\/p>\n
Australia became Fornaroli's home. The country is all his children have ever known, and he was granted citizenship in 2022. After his famous spell with City \u2013 51 goals in 71 games in all competitions \u2013 which ended with his exclusion by the manager of time, Warren Joyce, Fornaroli never knew. He did not leave the country but instead signed for a spell with Perth Glory, before joining City's bitter rivals Melbourne Victory – recruited at the latter two stops by current manager Tony Popovic.<\/p>\n
A change in FIFA eligibility rules in 2020 meant the former Uruguay under-17 representative was suddenly available for an international switch of allegiance and, amid an availability crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fornaroli was called up by Australia for two appearances during qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. It was a watershed moment for a player who had become widely beloved down under, even among apparent league rivals. His parents came from Uruguay to watch the game, the first time he had seen them in three years after the pandemic closed Australia's borders. But that's what it was supposed to be, a “break the window in case of emergency” call-up with no future national team appearances in sight. There were no surprises when others returned to the Socceroos setup ahead of Fornaroli in the months that followed.<\/p>\n
But that's what makes Fornaroli's inclusion in Australia's Asian Cup squad so remarkable. Because, quite simply, it's not supposed to be there. At 36, he doesn't fit coach Graham Arnold's intentions to begin ushering in a new generation as the road to the 2026 World Cup begins, and he doesn't have the history in the squad to provide a any function bonus. As an A-League Men's player, there is no incentive to be out of season during the August, September and October international windows. Even Fornaroli admits he hadn't considered the possibility of a national comeback until local journalist Anna Harrington asked him about it after a four-goal game against the Newcastle Jets in late October.<\/p>\n