Baccus eager to take career further following Wembley performance, focused on New Zealand clash
Keanu Baccus earned plenty of plaudits following his display anchoring Australia’s midfield on Saturday and is hoping to push further on with his career now.
Baccus played a full game at the heart of midfield for the Subway Socceroos brushing shoulders with former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Tottenham star James Maddison.
The playmaker performed well up against England’s global superstars alongside Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe.
He said it’s been another rewarding experience in what’s been a whirlwind last few months for the former A-Leagues star.
After moving across to Scotland, Baccus worked his way into the St. Mirren team before playing a part in Australia’s historic World Cup Qatar 2022, followed by featuring at Wembley.
“Over the last 12-18 months, I’ve experienced a lot in my footballing career and my journey. It was amazing, the lead-up was amazing, the game was amazing,” Baccus said.
“Since I was a young boy, I wanted to play in stadiums like that against opposition like that and got the chance to play 90 minutes and I’m very proud of everyone involved.
“Moving to Scotland was big for me personally. Getting some European football under my belt and playing big teams like Celtic and Rangers definitely helped. Going to the World Cup helped with confidence and getting used to stadiums and noise like that, and I just want to improve each game.”
Baccus also mentioned that he has ambitions of playing against that calibre of player in those stadiums every week.
He explained that competing with these types of players gives him further belief as he targets Premier League football.
“As a young boy, I always had ambitions to play in the Premier League one day, I think most kids do, or the top five leagues in the world, and that’s definitely still a dream and goal of mine,” he said.
"But you also can’t live in the future - you’ve got to live in the moment, so taking each game as it comes on both the national team and club land.
Whenever I get my chance to do my absolute best, and it’s what I pride myself on, so I’ve just got to keep doing that, and I think the rest will take care of itself.
“As a player, I’ve always believed in myself. You have to, or it’s hard if you’re stepping over the line playing like that. It’s good that you can go toe-to-toe with them and showcase your abilities.”
Baccus spoke on the experience of playing at one of the premier football facilities in the world and the confidence the team took from another admirable display against one of the world’s best.
He said the team is still building on their World Cup journey ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ and FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualification.
“It’s been a great feeling. It was a great experience for all of us boys playing at Wembley for the first time - for most of us anyway,” Baccus said.
“We just want to get stronger and stronger each game, and that was another one where we showcased ourselves but didn’t get the result.
“A little bit of disappointment, which is a positive thing for us because they are a world class side. Got to give credit to them as well. It was a moment off a set piece that we probably switched off just for a second, but we’ll learn from that as a team, as players individually, and we’ll grow from it.
“Every game we go into wanting to win, and after an impressive World Cup, it definitely gave us confidence. We grew from that.”
Australia has a strong Scottish backbone, which was added to on Saturday with two Scottish Premiership regulars introducing themselves to the team. Baccus’ club teammate Ryan Strain made his starting debut at right back, while Lewis Miller made his Australian debut, replacing Strain for the final portion of the Wembley match.
Baccus said that having so many Scottish connections in the team has been of benefit to the squad.
“There’s a lot of banter that gets thrown around in Scotland when you first see each other or beat each other, lose to each other,” he said.
“We play each other three times a season over there so a lot banter gets thrown around and they’re all great lads and great boys, and we get along well.
“It’s good to travel with those boys as well. It makes them feel a little bit more comfortable coming in and knowing you’ve got some familiar faces there.”
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1713796922140467525
The Socceroos play New Zealand on Wednesday morning, with the side looking to end a winless recent run. The last time the Socceroos won a game was against Ecuador in March.
Baccus said the team is taking this game seriously, with the Ashes trophy on the line at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium.
With some important games coming and other trophies up for grabs, Baccus hopes the team can build on these positive displays and start getting results.
“As you get older, you start to watch legends of the game, whether that be in Australia or other top leagues over the world,” he said.
“But I’ve definitely always wanted to represent my country and play these big games and big moments, and I want to win anything that comes my way if that’s trophies, one-off games so we’re going out there to win that game.
“We’ve got 26 players that are more than capable of stepping up to any occasion.
“You want to build on what you’ve been doing, but I think everyone in this team can achieve great things.
“We want to go into every game wanting to win. We do believe we can win, so we’re going to continue that mentality.”
Upcoming match
Australia v New Zealand - International Friendly
Tuesday, 17 October
Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford, London UK
Kick-off: 7.45pm local / 5.45am AEDT (Wednesday, 18 October)
Tickets: Purchase Here
