Graham Arnold reaches milestone as Socceroos continue on World Cup path

When a 22-year-old Graham Arnold first donned the green and gold in 1985 he would not have imagined his career with the Socceroos would end up spanning three decades, three World Cups and four Olympics. But on Thursday night, as Australia take on Bangladesh in a World Cup qualifier in Melbourne, Arnold will surpass all his predecessors and break a men’s national team coaching record.

The current benchmark of overseeing 58 A internationals is shared with Frank Farina, alongside whom Arnold started his national coaching career as an assistant in 2000. That significance is not lost on Arnold, who said he was proud to be part of the Socceroos’ coaching legacy.

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“I look at some of the names on that list – Farina, [Frank] Arok, [Eddie] Thompson, [Rale] Rasic – guys I played under or assisted in the early part of my coaching career, and it gives you some perspective on what a journey it’s been so far,” he said.

Arnold’s journey from Socceroos player to coach, and then coach again, has been a turbulent one. After the Socceroos’ heartbreaking draw with Iran in 1997 to miss out on a World Cup spot, the then-striker retired from international football and returned his focus to Australia’s domestic leagues.

With two seasons playing and managing in Sydney under his belt, he was pulled back into the Socceroos fold, first as assistant to Farina, then to Guus Hiddink during his tenure covering the 2006 World Cup. When Hiddink quit his post after the tournament for a lucrative contract in Russia, Arnold was thrust into the spotlight as interim coach, just seven years after his playing retirement. He looks back on that nine-match period with mixed feelings.

“I think back to that caretaker period and how much I learned about coaching; it was a challenging experience and one that on reflection I probably wasn’t ready for,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity I was given and what it was able to teach me ahead of my pathway into club coaching. I was able to put lessons from that time into practice, develop and eventually return to the Socceroos much more prepared for the role.”

In the 11 years between Arnold’s stints with the national team, the Australian coached the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League, Vegalta Sendai in Japan, and Sydney FC back home, before once more taking on the roles of Socceroos and Olyroos head coach in July 2018.

“I’d rather, in a lot of ways, not have had the interim period, but the interim period that I did have was probably the best lessons I learned in coaching,” he said. “It’s been a privilege to be part of the national team again with the benefit of that experience, and I’m immensely proud of what this group has been able to achieve in the last four years.”

What Arnold has been able to achieve with this Socceroos group is their best result at a World Cup and newfound respect on the world stage. Australia’s performance at the 2022 Qatar tournament, which ended in a closely fought 2-1 loss to eventual champions Argentina in the round of 16, captured the nation despite taking place half a world away. It was certainly not Arnold’s fault that the excitement and goodwill fostered by the Socceroos in Qatar so quickly dissipated in the face of poor decision making regarding the domestic A-Leagues.

“Sometimes it’s harder, too,” Arnold said of the Socceroos’ recent impressive performances. “Because you realise that after you’ve achieved something special you’ve got to keep on achieving. You don’t want to drop those standards and those goals.”

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Arnold is now looking for 2026 World Cup qualification, and redemption at January’s Asian Cup after the Socceroos were knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2019. With his focus on topping the group of Bangladesh, Palestine and Lebanon in this round of qualifying, the coach won’t be paying too much attention to how many matches he has overseen at the helm, but it’s not going unnoticed.

The chief executive of Football Australia, James Johnson, congratulated Arnold on the milestone and acknowledged his ongoing contribution to football in the country.

“Anyone who knows Arnie will tell you he bleeds green and gold,” Johnson said. “His love for the Socceroos and football in Australia is both infectious and inspiring. That energy and passion is a huge element to the way he’s able to lead and inspire our nation’s best male footballers in some of our sport’s most challenging arenas.”

For Arnold, it’s simple. “In my opinion, there’s no greater honour than representing your nation on the international stage,” he said. “I look at the young players coming through the Socceroos system now full of pride in the work they’ve put in to get where they are, and the journey that’s ahead of them. I’ve always loved being a part of the Socceroos culture and my desire to see Australia fulfil its footballing potential is still driving me to take this group to further success.”