Meet the 17-year-old striker set to star for Wanderers

Teenage forward John Roberts is hoping to cap off his rags to riches journey with an A-League debut for Western Sydney Wanderers this season.

Source: A-League

Born in the African country of Guinea, Roberts was a refugee with his family and moved to Australia in 2010 at the age of 10.

After learning to play football in the street, the talented youngster came through the AIS and has already captained his adopted country at Under-16 level.

After joining the Wanderers from Melbourne City in January and impressing in the club’s grand final-winning National Youth League (NYL) team, Roberts is now targeting a first-team spot.

“My goal is to work hard every training session and get a few minutes this year,” the striker told The World Game.

“Break into the first XI this season if I can. It’s my first pre-season for the club so it’s going well at the moment. I started with the youth team when I moved from Melbourne.

“I’ve just been working hard since January trying to get into the first-team. Trying to match them physically and also mentally.”

Roberts scored Western Sydney’s final goal in their 3-1 NYL grand final victory over Melbourne City in February.

He also managed three goals in 12 appearances in the NSW NPL 2 this year and several at youth international level for Australia.

The forward said he has been helped immensely by new Wanderers boss Markus Babbel.

"He’s a nice guy,” Roberts said. “He’s been helping me at training a lot with my movement and just the little things I need to work on to improve my game. He’s been helping me a lot.

“He’s a good coach. He’s just been telling me to work on my timing, my lines, trying to move the defenders a bit around, making it easier for me.”

An A-League appearance would be fitting addition for the rise of the son of parents from Sierra Leone, who honed his craft playing barefoot.

“It was hard back home,” Roberts said. “When my parents got the opportunity to move here they wanted a better life for us. For my family, so they moved here for us to be educated and just follow what we dream to do. So that’s what I’m doing.”

“We just used to play football in the street. I started mostly playing with my brothers when they went to the streets to play, I just followed them.

“Although I was still little to play with them, I just watched and one time they picked me to play against them. Since then I fell in love with playing football.

“I was about eight when I started, when I was allowed to go out and play with them. It was barefoot. It was hard with no boots but we didn’t care really.

“If we had no boots, or shoes, it was just football. It made us happy while we were playing.”

A product of the FFA’s now-closed Centre of Excellence in Canberra, Roberts has played for Australia at both Under-16 and Under-19 level. He ranks wearing the green and gold as a career highlight.

“It was really good,” Roberts said. “For me, I never thought I would play for Australia, to get the chance to play for the country that gave me and my family an opportunity.

"The first time I got picked for Australia I was overwhelmed. I told my parents, they were happy.

“When the coaches and my teammates chose me as the captain, because I’m pretty quiet, it was one of my goals that I achieved in that time. It was overwhelming.”

Viewed by many as one of Australia’s brightest young talents, Roberts has ambitions to one day be a Socceroo. The striker has been inspired by the displays of his former City teammate Daniel Arzani at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

“Seeing him go all the way in the World Cup made my ambition to play for the Socceroos even hungrier,” he said.

“Seeing him get the opportunity and seeing the coaches giving young players in Australia a chance… it made me want to achieve more things like him.

“My long-time goal is to play for the Socceroos one day. At the moment I just need to focus on my short-term goals.”