Young Socceroo a rising star in Europe

A teenage Australian football player is making waves in Europe.

Ikonomidis_socceroos_2_sbs.jpg

(SBS)

Chris Ikonomidis, 18, has been living in Italy for more than a year and recently signed a three-year contract with Serie A club, Lazio.
 
The young star said he was honoured to be selected and determined to give his best.
"It’s a lot for a club to make a bet on a young Australian boy and they obviously have a lot of belief in me," he told SBS.

"I want to repay that to them by my performances on the pitch."

Ikonomidis originally moved to Italy to play with the Atalanta youth side and he said it had taken time to get used to his new world.

"Slowly I’m getting used to living in such a beautiful city," he said.
"Thankfully I’ve got a very supportive family who are always coming over and visiting me."

He recently made his debut for Australia’s under-20 side and is following in the footsteps of Young Socceroos coach Paul Okon, who played for Lazio in the 1990s.
"He knows the stresses and the pressures that come with playing for a club like this," Ikonomidis said.

"It’s also great being part of a national team setup."

World News Australia will air an exclusive interview with Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou where he will announce the Australian side for an upcoming friendly match against Costa Rica. The date and time of this exclusive are yet to be announced – stay tuned.

 


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2 min read

Published

Updated

By Vitor Sobral

Source: SBS


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