{"id":248023,"date":"2026-06-13T00:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T00:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/13\/blow-my-mind-aussie-teen-linked-with-spanish-giant-in-bombshell-report-socceroos-daily\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T00:41:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T00:41:00","slug":"blow-my-mind-aussie-teen-linked-with-spanish-giant-in-bombshell-report-socceroos-daily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/13\/blow-my-mind-aussie-teen-linked-with-spanish-giant-in-bombshell-report-socceroos-daily\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Blow my mind\u2019: Aussie teen linked with Spanish giant in bombshell report \u2014 Socceroos Daily"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On the eve of his likely World Cup debut, Barcelona are reportedly interested in 18-year-old Socceroos defender Lucas Herrington.<\/p>\n

The report is a significant acknowledgment of the teenage centre back\u2019s meteoric rise.<\/p>\n

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Having taken the MLS by storm this year with Colorado Rapids, Herrington made his international debut in March and is now in line to start alongside Harry Souttar and Alessandro Circati in Tony Popovic\u2019s back three against T\u00fcrkiye in Vancouver on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Herrington started alongside Souttar and Circati in Australia\u2019s friendlies against Mexico and Switzerland in recent weeks and has defended the likes of Lionel Messi in the American league since joining from Brisbane Roar.<\/p>\n

It seems Popovic is not the only one whose head was turned by his string of impressive performances.<\/p>\n

MLS insider, who works for The Athletic, posted on social media that Barcelona are among a number of clubs interested in Herrington.<\/p>\n

No Australian has ever played for the Catalan giants, who won La Liga in the season just gone.<\/p>\n

Herrington had previously been linked with English Premier League outfit Everton as well as freshly relegated West Ham, but the thought of the Queenslander gracing the Nou Camp is mouth watering for Australian football fans.<\/p>\n

He has come with big wraps.<\/p>\n

Almost two years ago, then Brisbane Roar boss Ruben Zadkovich dubbed the teenager \u201cthe best defender in Australian football\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Lucas Herrington of Australia controls the ball during the international friendly match between Mexico and Australia at Rose Bowl Stadium.<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Popovic may pivot from his back three from the friendlies by replacing Herrington with the experience of Cameron Burgess – who played every single minute of the English Championship season with Welsh side Swansea City.<\/p>\n

But if the manager sticks to his guns, Herrington will become the youngest Australian to start a World Cup match – easily breaking Adam Taggart\u2019s record of being 21 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.<\/p>\n

Whenever he does set foot on the pitch this tournament, Herrington will become the second youngest ever Socceroo to play in a World Cup – after Garang Kuol in Qatar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would mean everything,\u201d Herrington said in a pre-tournament interview. \u201cI\u2019ve worked my whole life for an opportunity like this.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt came sooner than I thought, but I\u2019ll try and take it with both hands, just enjoy it and really make the country proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Socceroos insist Toure in no doubt | 03:43<\/p>\n

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SOCCEROOS SWEATING ON TOURE FITNESS<\/b><\/p>\n

The injury or illness cloud hanging over striker Mohamed Tour\u00e9 has been Australia\u2019s big concern heading into Sunday\u2019s clash with T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old has been on fire this year, bagging nine goals in 11 Championship appearances for Norwich City after moving to England in January from Danish side Randers.<\/p>\n

Tour\u00e9’s blistering form made him the overwhelming favourite to lead the line for the Socceroos this World Cup, but it is still unsure whether or not he will start tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo days ago, he missed training. Yesterday, we\u2019re told he did train, but we didn\u2019t see vision of him actually out on the park,\u201d Fox Sports News\u2019 Luke Doherty reported from Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis teammates said he was out there but when Football Australia released some vision, there was a little bit of him in the gym, but not out on the field. His teammates again, said that he did train, but that was a closed session to the media.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we do wait and see.<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight, we\u2019re going to see they\u2019re final training run and we will see for ourselves if Mo Toure is out there on the grass.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mohamed Toure, #9 of Australia races to the ball during a game between Australia and Switzerland at Snapdragon Stadium on June 6, 2026.<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The teammates\u2019 comments Doherty referenced were from Jacob Italiano and Aziz Behich after Milos Degenek made the press pack laugh a day earlier by repeating that \u201cMo is expected to train tomorrow\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMo was there, Mo was fit, Mo is healthy,\u201d Italiano told reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behich added: \u201cHe looked good.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat to have him back amongst the boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s fine, running about full of energy, so it was nice to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nation now will be keeping its fingers crossed that he is good to go.<\/p>\n

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\u2018WHY NOT?\u2019: SOCCEROOS DARE TO DREAM<\/b><\/p>\n

In his third World Cup, veteran defender Aziz Behich is eager to get off to a winning start for the first time.<\/p>\n

The opening game has been a struggle for the Socceroos since the 2006 team defeated Japan in Kaiserslautern<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Australia have lost to Germany, Chile and France twice in their tournament openers across the nation\u2019s last four trips to the World Cup.<\/p>\n

Having seen the momentum created by tournament co-hosts Mexico with their 2-0 victory against South Africa<\/a> to kick-off the tournament, the Socceroos are determined to not be on the back foot for the remainder of their group matches this time around.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to start well because you\u2019ve only got three games, and you want to put your best foot forward early and put other nations on the back foot,\u201d Behich, who is likely to come off the bench throughout the tournament, told AAP.<\/p>\n

As for expectations beyond T\u00fcrkiye, Popovic\u2019s side are looking to make history.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got no limits. We\u2019ve set no bars – the bar\u2019s got to be high,\u201d Behich said.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, what we did in the last campaign, set the standard, but I think we have a squad now to surpass that. And why not?<\/p>\n

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Aziz Behich of Australia competes for the ball against Silvan Widmer of Switzerland during the international friendly match between Australia and Switzerland.<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cBut you need to get off to a good start, that\u2019s for sure. And we have an opportunity to do that in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo look, it\u2019s a game at a time, but definitely we\u2019re here to go deep in the competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the mentality the coaches have, and they\u2019ve put into the players – and us as a playing group, we\u2019ve spoken about we want to be the first Aussie team, obviously, to win a knockout game as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry Souttar, who captained the team in their last outing against Switzerland, stressed that evenness of Group D – which also contains the United States and Paraguay – means the door is open for Australia compared to other editions where powerhouses like Brazil, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and France have been in the same group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe group\u2019s really tight,\u201d Souttar said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure each team is going to be thinking that \u2018we can top this group. So that\u2019s the challenge this year, compared to the last.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Three reds as Mexico beat South Africa | 02:43<\/p>\n

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TURKISH SKIPPER TAKES SHOT AT AUSSIES<\/b><\/p>\n

T\u00fcrkiye captain Hakan \u00c7alhano\u011flu has lit the fuse ahead of Sunday afternoon\u2019s World Cup opening clash against Australia by saying his team will \u201cdominate\u201d the Socceroos.<\/p>\n

The Inter Milan midfielder spoke to Australian reporters in Vancouver on Saturday morning and fired a shot at Tony Popovic\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur coach analysed them with us together,\u201d he said..<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we know that they\u2019re a physical team, that they\u2019re good on the corner kicks and the free kicks because they are tall and strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that we dominate tomorrow the game because we have more qualities and (are a) more talented team, so we will see tomorrow what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00c7alhano\u011flu\u2019s words come despite a lot of pressure sitting on T\u00fcrkiye’s shoulders.<\/p>\n

The world No.23 are fancied to top Group D, but a World Cup is unfamiliar territory.<\/p>\n

They had to come through the playoffs to earn a spot in North America and end their World Cup drought which dates back to Japan and Korea in 2002.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s a long time, very long time and everyone is waiting for tomorrow,\u201d \u00c7alhano\u011flu said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore I start to speak, I just want to say that we are proud after 24 years to be back again.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone knows how it feels and how the pressure at the same time it is for us to represent our nation. So the moment comes now, tomorrow is the day and we prepare these two or three weeks very good.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus is just for the game tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Turkey’s Hakan Calhanoglu warms up during a training session in Vancouver, British Colombia, Friday, June 12, 2026.<\/span>Source: AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hoffenheim defender Ozan Kabak said it is a proud day for his nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really big achievement for myself, for my country. We haven\u2019t been in the World Cup since 2002, as you know,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s a big proud (moment) for our nation. So hopefully we can do something big.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI was two years old at the time when we played but obviously I grew up with watching them. So they are big idols for all generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say so they are our idols hopefully we can we can make our history here.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his press conference yesterday, Socceroos defender Milos Degenek pointed out that the inexperience at World Cups places a lot of pressure on the Turkish team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if you look at the T\u00fcrkiye side, I think this is 26 players have never experienced the World Cup from the T\u00fcrkiye side,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we in our squad have nine players that already have experienced the World Cup, so we\u2019ve got a bit of experience in that regard. It could be emotional for them. They\u2019re very emotional people, very passionate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the eve of his likely World Cup debut, Barcelona are reportedly interested in 18-year-old Socceroos defender Lucas Herrington. The report is a significant acknowledgment of the teenage centre back\u2019s meteoric rise. UFC FREEDOM 250 | MONDAY 15 JUNE 10AM AEST | UFC Freedom 250 delivers a landmark night of fights from the White House, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":248024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[44539,151,1800,15945,1641,83,1736,13503,7632,17326,8884,10703,333,3747,37519,1808,2064,74207,74217,9030,32162,74214,73623,74211,85,7985,1429,74208,3447,726,4232,1425,22410,11267,11697,74210,45594,74213,70342,74209,74205,320,74218,16809,6012,1533,1809,1427,1728,74219,13682,32159,61673,74215,53336,2874,22771,23761,74206,239,5429,240,2457,2902,11007,74204,74212,12783,24815,74216,2023,1792,37514,4337,1847,3150],"class_list":{"0":"post-248023","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-adam-taggart","9":"tag-africa","10":"tag-america","11":"tag-american-league","12":"tag-asia","13":"tag-australia","14":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","15":"tag-australian-defender","16":"tag-australian-football","17":"tag-australian-football-fans","18":"tag-aziz-behich","19":"tag-back-foot","20":"tag-brazil","21":"tag-brisbane-roar","22":"tag-british-columbia","23":"tag-california","24":"tag-canada","25":"tag-canada-ampampamp-bosnia","26":"tag-canada-ampampampamp-bosnia","27":"tag-central-america","28":"tag-chile","29":"tag-concern-heading","30":"tag-country-proud","31":"tag-crazy-detail","32":"tag-england","33":"tag-english-premier-league","34":"tag-europe","35":"tag-final-training-run","36":"tag-fox-sports-news","37":"tag-france","38":"tag-germany","39":"tag-getty-images-inc","40":"tag-group-d-sa","41":"tag-harry-souttar","42":"tag-home-ground","43":"tag-humble-origin-story","44":"tag-jacob-italiano","45":"tag-landmark-night","46":"tag-lucas-herrington","47":"tag-manager-sticks","48":"tag-massive-selection-calls","49":"tag-mexico","50":"tag-mls-insider","51":"tag-mohamed-toure","52":"tag-netherlands","53":"tag-north-america","54":"tag-northern-america","55":"tag-northern-europe","56":"tag-oceania","57":"tag-opener-v","58":"tag-opening-game","59":"tag-paraguay","60":"tag-pasadena","61":"tag-pre-tournament-interview","62":"tag-press-pack","63":"tag-qatar","64":"tag-rape-charges","65":"tag-ruben-zadkovich","66":"tag-selection-callsfootball","67":"tag-south-africa","68":"tag-south-america","69":"tag-southern-africa","70":"tag-southern-europe","71":"tag-spain","72":"tag-switzerland","73":"tag-teenage-centre-backs","74":"tag-tense-drawfootball","75":"tag-tony-popovic","76":"tag-tournament-co-hosts","77":"tag-tournament-openers","78":"tag-turkey","79":"tag-united-states-of-america","80":"tag-vancouver","81":"tag-veteran-defender","82":"tag-western-asia","83":"tag-western-europe"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}