Aussie actor Firass Dirani has put in the performance of his life for a video announcing the Socceroos 2022 World Cup squad – but a very ambitious claim he makes about the national team is sure to cause a stir.
The 38-year-old, who has starred in Underbelly, House Husbands and Mel Gibson war epic Hacksaw Ridge, boldly predicted the Aussie side were ready to face the world’s top teams in the finals in Qatar.
That’s despite the Socceroos only barely scraping through qualification, and facing what some deem an almost impossible task against the might of France and Denmark in their group.
The hype video Dirani starred in certainly did tug at the heartstrings, however, but was it a tad optimistic?
Aussie actor Firass Dirani has starred in a slick hype video announcing the Socceroos World Cup squad for the tournament in Qatar later this month
‘The sixth squad to represent our nation of 26 million on the world stage,’ he enthuses in the video, which was posted to the Socceroos’ social media pages.
‘France, Tunisia, Denmark and whoever comes after that, just more challenges to overcome.
‘This story is never done. One squad, one World Cup, one jersey – our turn to give it 100 [per cent] once again,’ said Dirani.
Believing that the Socceroos will make it through to the finals is an ambitious comment sure to raise the eyebrow of even the most ardent Aussie fans.
Australia will be facing 2018 champions France in Group D at this month’s tournament
A strong Denmark side features Arsenal star Christian Eriksen, with the Nordic country ranked 10th in the world
Ranked 38th in the world, Australia is eight spots down from the African country of Tunisia, which has a population of just under 12 million.
Never mind the 2018 champions, France, who are ranked fourth in the world, or Denmark (10th), who have superstars like Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Andreas Christensen in their side.
Nonetheless, despite many fans mentioning the ambitious target of progressing past the group of death – and a lot of supporters questioning the omissions of Sainsbury, Langerak and Rogic – other supporters said the promo has hyped them up for the Cup.
‘This is epic’, ‘fired up’ and ‘powerful stuff’ was the general consensus on Dirani’s video, with the acclaimed Underbelly actor’s smooth delivery laced with intense passion and belief.
Martin Boyle, picked to go to the World Cup in Qatar, was congratulated by his wife Rachel on the social media post featuring the slick squad announcement
The wife of forward Martin Boyle also commented on the video, writing she was incredibly proud to see her husband being selected for the grandest stage of all.
‘Incredibly proud Martin Boyle! The hundreds of hours spent in the car every weekend to cheer you on in the sun, wind, rain & snow; you sitting in the stands next to me watching on; the operations and rehabs..it has all been worth it to get to this moment. See you in Qatar,’ Rachel Boyle wrote, accompanied by a picture of an airplane emoji.
The video addressed Australia’s disappointing history with qualifying for World Cups, and highlighted just how far the nation has come since the Socceroos spent 32 years in the tournament wilderness between 1974 and 2006.
Jimmy Rooney, Harry Williams and Jimmy Mackay were all smiles in 1974 as Australia prepared to go to their first-ever World Cup. It would be another 32 years before the Socceroos could qualify again
‘Do you recall the first steps taken 100 years ago fatefully in the pitch at Dunedin (Australia’s first-ever football match, against New Zealand in 1922) or those who first showed us it could be done in 1974,’ Dirani said in the video.
‘How did 100 years of glory and heartbreak make us who we are? Because what does football teach us, but the fact that anything can happen.
‘Perhaps in those moments (where the side didn’t qualify for the World Cup), we found our defiance,’ said Dirani.
The actor also explained how special it was to have a national side that is finally representative of the proud, multicultural nation.
Players like Thomas Deng, a South Sudanese refugee who fled the war-torn country as a child, and Garang Kuol, another refugee from the African nation whose family worked multiple jobs to make his football dreams come true.
And the warriors like Andrew Redmayne and Aaron Mooy who were perennially underrated until their talents finally began to be appreciated.
‘Whether in Adelaide or Aberdeen, Sydney or Zagreb, those first steps were taken from fleeing war to finding a home Down Under, to leaving home at 14 to chase your dreams,’ he said.
‘Being told we’re not good enough, or tall enough; too weak or too physical and now being a squad that reflects the face of a country like no other.
‘Through the slings and arrows of 1000 angry tweets and headlines, our boys found a way (to qualify for the World Cup),’ said Dirani.
Andrew Redmayne (left) and Aziz Behich (right) celebrate after qualifying for the 2022 World Cup following Redmayne’s save in a penalty shootout against Peru
It’s a brilliant point too. While the Socceroos chances of advancing past the group stage are slim, at best, just qualifying when all hope seemed lost appeared almost impossible.
The heart-stopping win over Peru in June was finished when a goalkeeper almost completely unknown to overseas football fans, Andrew Redmayne, stopped Alex Valera’s spot kick in the now-iconic penalty shoot-out.
Most Australian fans won’t be expecting a whole lot to come results-wise from the Socceroos, but if they give 100 per cent, as Dirani intimated in the hype video, no doubt the entire country will still be proud.