Bruno Fornaroli's first Socceroos call-up has turned plenty of heads including that of his long-time friend Luis Suarez.
Both players were born and raised in Uruguay with Suarez going on to play regularly for the nation.
Fornaroli's route to senior international football has been slightly different after moving to Australia to play in the A-League Men seven years ago.
Having found a second home Down Under, Fornaroli recently became an Australian citizen giving Graham Arnold the green light to select him in his latest Socceroos squad for World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia later this month.
While some have questioned the decision to name the 34-year-old, Suarez was stoked to see his friend's national team dream come true.
"Very happy for you little brother and I sincerely hope that you can have the illusion of reaching the World Cup with Australia," Suarez's post on Twitter read.
"I love you very much and I wish you all the success!"
Muy feliz por vos hermanito y espero de corazón que puedas tener esa ilusión de llegar al mundial con Australia, te quiero mucho y te deseo todo el éxito! @BFornaroli 👊🏻👊🏻💪🏻💪🏻👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/L28O9iX0ny
— Luis Suarez (@LuisSuarez9) March 17, 2022
The duo could yet square off against one another for a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Should the Socceroos fail to beat both Japan and Saudi Arabia over the next fortnight, they'll be forced to qualify via the play-offs where they'll face an AFC and South American nation in must-win games.
Uruguay could well be that nation with Suarez's side currently sitting fourth in qualifying, with the team that finishes fifth set to compete in the play-off game.
For now though, Fornaroli's full focus is on making his debut and trying to ensure Australia can qualify directly for the World Cup.
“I have many reasons to fight for this country. This is so important for me that I will do whatever I have to do inside or outside the field to help Australia qualify for the World Cup," Fornaroli told the official Socceroos website.
“When we started to talk and started to speed up the process on my citizenship, I tried not to get too excited until the moment the coach called me and told me I would be in the squad. At that point it became a reality and now I think I live in a dream.
“All my career I have waited for this moment. This is the biggest moment in my career. I am so happy. Now is the time to enjoy the moment and be ready to give my best.”
