Cristian Volpato's Journey: From Italy to Australia
Cristian Volpato didn’t just change teams. He came home.
In his mind, the tug-of-war had been running for years. Italy or Australia. Azzurri blue or Socceroos gold. At 18, in the glow of Roma and the Italian youth system, the choice felt easier. Stay where you are. Stay comfortable.
Now 22, on the brink of a World Cup, that comfort suddenly felt small.
“Something — I don't know — in my heart just said, 'I think it's time to come home,’” Volpato said in a video released by Football Australia, his first real glimpse into why he finally walked away from Italy and towards the country of his birth.
From Rome to San Diego
The scene for his rebirth as a Socceroo is a long way from Sydney or Sassuolo. Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego. A friendly against Switzerland on Saturday (5am Sunday AEST), but nothing about this feels friendly for Volpato. It feels like a line in the sand.
He is set to make his debut, with coach Tony Popovic confirming he is “fit and available” and expected to get minutes after missing the Mexico match due to a late arrival in camp. Popovic says the attacker is now looking his sharpest since joining the group, his conditioning finally catching up to the rest.
The timeline of this decision has been messy, emotional and very public.
As a teenager at Roma, Volpato turned down Graham Arnold’s invitation to join Australia’s 2022 World Cup squad in Qatar. In March this year, he doubled down, openly stating he was waiting for a senior call from Italy. The message back then was clear: not yet, Australia.
Now the World Cup looms again — and Italy aren’t going.
“Obviously, playing in a World Cup for your nation is something unreal,” he said. “Playing for Italy also was good and amazing. But maybe when I was 18, maybe I was a bit too young, and maybe I was a bit too scared to make the change straight away, so maybe I was in my comfort zone a bit, playing for Italy.”
The comfort zone finally cracked.
Torn between two flags
Volpato doesn’t pretend the choice was simple, or that the criticism hasn’t stung. Social media has had its say. So have former players and pundits. The idea of “picking” a country, of choosing one part of your identity over another, has weighed on him.
“I'm Italian and I'm Australian, so it's actually been a big decision that's always been in my head 24/7 for quite a while,” he said. “It's really hard because it's like people want you to choose something, one or the other.”
He has chosen. And he’s leaning into it.
“But it's been hard and, obviously, I do feel Australian, so it felt really good coming in, being brought in by the boys, and speaking English — Aussie.”
Behind the scenes, the conversations were long and pointed. Popovic made it clear he wouldn’t beg. This had to be Volpato’s decision, not a recruitment win. Close friend Alessandro Circati — himself a recent addition to the Socceroos fold — pushed from another angle.
Sassuolo and Circati’s Parma faced each other on the final day of the Serie A season. The discussion between the two friends kept rolling.
“He [Circati] was trying to convince me, and I was like, alright, I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come,” Volpato recalled.
At some point, the internal debate stopped and the flight to camp was booked.
No friction, just expectation
Inside the squad, teammates have been careful not to fan any flames around his late switch. Asked whether Volpato’s change of allegiance had caused tension, midfielder Connor Metcalfe brushed the question aside. The message from the camp is simple: he’s here now, and that’s what matters.
Popovic’s focus is on turning potential into production. Volpato arrives as a creative attacker from Sassuolo with a point to prove, not just to the outside world but to the dressing room he has just walked into.
He insists he’s ready to shoulder that.
“Obviously people are writing us off a lot because we're Australia, but I believe in the group, I believe in the coach, I think we've got a really good team, so hopefully we can shock a lot of people,” he said.
That’s the other layer to this story. Volpato isn’t just changing colours; he’s stepping into a World Cup campaign where Australia again sit outside the favourites, again fighting for respect.
Dress rehearsal before the “big dance”
Switzerland in San Diego is more than a warm-up. It’s a deliberate test. A strong European opponent, a midday kick-off, a quick turnaround out of the city — all designed to mirror the Socceroos’ second group game against the United States on June 19 (June 20 AEST).
“A good dress rehearsal, good last hit-out for players to get minutes in before the big dance in front of us,” Popovic told AAP.
There’s more new blood on the brink as well. Striker Tete Yengi could also make his debut, adding another fresh face to a squad trying to evolve without losing its edge.
This match is Australia’s final friendly before their World Cup opener against Turkey on June 13 in Vancouver. The clock is ticking, combinations need to settle, and roles must be defined. For Volpato, every touch will be scrutinised. Every decision, every sprint, every glance at the bench.
He once said no to a World Cup with Australia. Now he’s betting his future on playing in one for them.
The question is no longer who Cristian Volpato plays for. That’s settled. The real question, starting in San Diego, is how much he can change what Australia are.
