Milos Degenek has revealed that one of the first people to congratulate him on his recall to the Socceroos squad for their World Cup qualifiers this month was a member of Tottenham’s coaching staff.
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Former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak is part of Ange Postecoglou’s ensemble in north London, but Degenek’s name on the list of players chosen to face Saudi Arabia and Bahrain this month cut through the chaos of life in the Premier League.
“I got a message from him,” Degenek said from the Socceroos’ camp in Bahrain.
“He understands me as we come from a very similar background.
“He has just been someone that has been there for me through the hard times and the good times.
“He said to me, ‘you’ve been away for a while, don’t stress, don’t do too much, don’t complicate it.’”
“I appreciate him a lot.
“I think he is the most valuable person I’ve met in the world of football.
“I look at him as a bigger brother in the football world.”
Degenek hadn’t been involved with the Socceroos since October 2023 due to an achilles injury that required surgery and sidelined him for an extended period.
The defender, who can play anywhere across the backline, is the epitome of what coach Tony Popovic is looking for in a player.
The 30-year-old’s presence has been missed in camp, if not always on the field, definitely around the playing group.
Popovic has stressed he’s after footballers who are passionate about wearing green and gold and few embody that ethos more than Degenek, who has 45-caps to his name.
His speech in the dressing room prior to the Socceroos win over Tunisia in the group stage at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 has become the stuff of legend, as he spoke about running until someone had to drag exhausted players off the pitch.
“Leave everything out there, for yourselves, for your friends, for your family and for your teammates,” Degenek can be heard saying in the video.
He was well aware of the videos reach by the end of the tournament, describing it as a viral “one hit wonder.”
Now, he’s rejoined the band.
“I get goosebumps now,” Degenek said when asked about his recall.
“It means more than ever because I’m getting older, I’m not getting younger.
“I’d like to be someone here that these younger boys can look up to.
“I want them to have someone they can approach whenever they need to approach someone to talk about anything.
“Whether it’s help in the football world or whether its help in general life; I want them to have someone they can reach out to.”
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It’s easier to understand the passion that streams from Degenek when you realise the road he’s travelled to get to this point, not just in football, but in life as well.
He was born in Croatia in 1994 during the war of independence.
In a piece for website athletesvoice.com.au in 2018, he wrote beautifully about the Degenek’s nine-day journey on a tractor, with an 18-month-old Milos and his brother Djordje, fleeing to Serbia.
It is something, as you would expect, that has never left him, as he openly tells of a childhood partly spent dodging bombs in underground bunkers.
Australia offered the family an escape from that uncertain existence.
“I’ve played football all over the world and I’ve enjoyed my football the most when I’ve played for Australia,” he says.
“I’ve played for Red Star, my childhood dream club, I’ve done everything there I could’ve done.
“This, for me, is something special and I enjoy it a lot more.”
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Adversity in football seems trivial to someone with Degenek’s background, but the long days spent rehabilitating his achilles at FK Crvena Zvezda or Red Star Belgrade as Degenek calls them, were fuelled by a desire to go to a third World Cup.
“I think it was one of the main motivations for me,” Degenek said.
“It was the fact I could be part of something special again.
“Club football is the football that pays your bills and puts a roof on your head, but this is the football that you try to give back to people that have helped you in life. This is the football where I feel the happiest when I’m here.
“For me, when I was going through a hard time being injured, it was like I had something to look forward to and hopefully a World Cup in a year and a half to look forward to.
“It was driving me crazy that I couldn’t get fit quick enough.”
He was part of the group of players Bert van Marwijk took to Russia in 2018, but didn’t get on the field. The goal of playing in a World Cup was realised four years later in Qatar, featuring four times for Graham Arnold during that tournament.
To get to the 2026 edition both Degenek and the rest of his teammates have a few hurdles left to climb.
They’re still second in Group C after Thursday night’s scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia in Melbourne. Victory over Bahrain on Wednesday morning (AEDT) will see them hold on to that spot. If the team can stay there through the next two international windows in March and June next year, they’ll automatically qualify for the World Cup.
“It’s about getting the boys to know it’s all in our hands,” Degenek said.
“If we win every game from now until June, we go to a World Cup and everyone is happy.”