Awer Mabil revealed he was convinced to join Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Club Zurich after in-depth discussions with the head coach as well as leaning on the advice of a fellow Subway Socceroo.
The 27-year-old completed a transfer to the Swiss side from LaLiga outfit Cadiz earlier in the week and is determined to make a positive impression at his new club in search of regular game time.
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Mabil, who has accumulated 32 caps and scored nine goals since his October 2018 debut for the national team, said he was excited about the project and vision of the club.
"I spoke with (head coach) Bruno (Berner) spoke to him for a little, bit more than a little bit," he told the club's official YouTube channel.
"And I like the, the mission and the targets of the club and of course the club, it's the most successful club in Switzerland.
"So that really motivated me to join the project that they're on, to bring the club back to where it belongs. So that motivated me a lot and that was the biggest reason I came here."
Mabil admitted he also spoke with Subway Socceroo Trent Sainsbury about the club which further reinforced his decision to put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal with an option for a third.
Capped 61 times for Australia, the 31-year-old currently plays in Qatar at Al-Wakrah but enjoyed a loan spell with the Hoppers in the second half of the 2017/18 season.
"The first thing he told me is that if I had the opportunity, I will go back," he disclosed.
"So he's had a good time here. He said, the club, the city, the people are really, really nice. So he recommended highly the club to me.
"So I think he's jealous that I'm here now, he wants to come back, but shout out to Trent (Sainsbury), he's one of my good friends.
"We've been in the national team together for a long time, so it was really nice that he could, you know, tell me a little bit more about the club."
Mabil is hoping to achieve success with the Zurich-based team and wants to embrace the responsibility and help guide the younger players in the squad.
The winger has UEFA Champions League experience with FC Midtjylland and also featured at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
"We have a very young team so I am so motivated to help these young players grow," he continued.
"And I'm sure within the next two years, we will experience a lot of a lot of good things together and also some difficulties, but you know that's what it's all about, the experiences for them.
"So I think the club will be really, really good with this project that they have now.
"So the combination of the experience and the young will really bring something special to the team, to the club, once everything starts to click together.
Mabil will wear the number 21 jersey, the same number he wore for the Subway Socceroos at the AFC Asian Cup 2019, and could made his debut against Luzern on Monday 12:30am AEST.