Inspirational Story Of Australian Player Awer Mabil, Starting From Refugee Camp To 2022 World Cup

Australia's national team player, Awer Mabil, takes his country to the 2022 World Cup. (Photo: Twitter @Socceroos)

JAKARTA - Awer Mabil took part in the qualification of the Australian national team to the 2022 World Cup. He became one of The Socceroos' executioners who managed to carry out their duties well.

At that time, Mabil could be called one of the determinants. The reason, he became the last kicker Australia.

Awer Mabil said his goal was a way of thanking Australia for bringing him and his family in as refugees.

Mabil was born to South Sudanese parents in a refugee camp in Kenya. He was then taken to Australia and had a better life there.

"I knew I was going to score. It's the only way to thank Australia, from me and my family," the 26-year-old told reporters from Qatar.

"My family left Sudan because of the war, I was born in a hut. My hotel room here is bigger than the room we had as a family in the refugee camps. For Australia to accept and accommodate us, it gave me and my family a chance to live."

Mabil hopes that his contribution to Australia's victory will help create a new narrative around refugees in Kangaroo Country.

"Now I think I have an influence on Australian football," he said.

"We are going to the World Cup. I scored a goal (a penalty), a lot of my teammates scored, we all played a part."

"And yes, maybe the refugee child played a big role. So on behalf of the family, I say thank you to all of Australia."

Mabil said he arrived in Australia as a child just in time to see the Socceroos' "Golden Generation" play at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The current generation of players, he says, is determined not to be weighed down by memories of the days when Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell wore green and gold jerseys.

"We wanted to create our own chapter," he said. "For me, I see it as motivation. Now is the time for us to write our own script. Next time we will go straight through."

"We've always done it the hard way as Australians, it's time to change that picture."