Cacace returns to Wellington a Serie A star
A lot has happened since Liberato Cacace last played at Sky Stadium, three years ago. Phillip Rollo reports.
Bigger, stronger, faster. A bulked-up Liberato Cacace will return to Sky Stadium in Wellington today looking totally different to the scrawny teenager who last played there for the Phoenix three years ago.
Now plying his trade in one of the biggest leagues in Europe, Italy’s Serie A, the Empoli fullback will be the headline act when the All Whites take on China in their first match in the New Zealand capital since the 2017 intercontinental playoff.
The 22-year-old has grown a beard and packed on the muscle since his A-League Men days, but stressed that he was even faster than the player who used to get up and down the wing for the Phoenix, and famously put Japanese star Keisuke Honda on his bum with a marauding run at Eden Park.
‘‘I’m still growing but now we’ve got the team in the gym almost every day,’’ Cacace said, ahead of his All Whites homecoming.
‘‘I’m working quite hard with my diet and what I’m putting in my mouth, and also with injury prevention there’s a lot of people working behind the scenes to help me and the team be the best we can be.
‘‘It’s about finding the balance. When I was in Belgium I was still figuring out my body. I was quite fit because I was playing wingback and ran a lot and had to be lighter, but now in Italy playing as a fullback, and at a higher level, I’ve got to be more powerful and explosive. ‘‘I eat a lot, but I eat good food.’’ Sat next to his parents, Cacace was in the crowd the last time the All Whites played in Wellington, watching the New Zealand battle to a 0-0 draw with Peru in the first leg of their World Cup qualifier.
Fast-forward six years, he will be the key player when the All Whites face China in the second of two international friendlies today, with star EPL striker Chris Wood ruled out with a thigh injury.
‘‘Growing up here and playing for the Nix, it’s a different feeling getting to play at Sky Stadium and in front of my friends and family.
‘‘The last time the All Whites played here I was with my family up the top and I guess those are the moments you remember what playing for the All Whites was, because I only watched the All Whites when they were playing in Wellington.
It will be a different feeling walking out with the shirt on.’’
The Wellington-born-and-raised Cacace has not played at Sky Stadium since the Phoenix beat Melbourne Victory 3-0 three years ago.
It was their final game before Covid-19 swept the globe and forced New Zealand’s only professional football club to relocate to Australia for the best part of two seasons.
It was also Cacace’s final season with the Phoenix, securing a sixfigure move to Belgium club SintTruiden
not long after. After two seasons in Belgium, he then completed a dream move to Empoli, where he created history as the first New Zealand man to play in Serie A.
Reflecting on the past three years, Cacace said it has been a whirlwind.
Among his many ‘‘pinch me moments’’ since arriving in Europe was a brief conversation with Jose Mourinho after Empoli played Roma last year. ‘‘Lining up against some players before the games, it was kind of crazy but it gives you a lot of motivation playing at that level, motivation to work hard and succeed.
‘‘I’m just lucky to be playing at this level.’’ However, his move to Italy has not been without its setbacks.
Cacace has been a regular starter throughout most of his career, but his opportunities to play meaningful minutes have been limited at Empoli, where he has primarily played second fiddle to Fabiano
Parisi. Cacace has taken the field just 18 times, 10 as a substitute, in 35 match-day appearances.
But despite his lack of minutes, Cacace said he was happy at Empoli and the message from manager Paolo Zanetti has just been to stay patient and make the most of every opportunity, whether that be in training or when on international duty with the All Whites.
‘‘Last season was really great. I arrived in January and played almost straight away, like four or five days after I signed I was on the bench and got 30 minutes for my debut,’’ he said.
‘‘This year it’s been quite tough, if I’m being honest. I haven’t been in this situation in my career and it’s really challenged me mentally.
‘‘But I’m glad I’ve had this moment so I can see how I’d react in this situation and I’ve had good support around me, and now I can really push on and play more.
‘‘He [Zanetti] is always telling me to be patient and has been really positive, saying just work hard every day and don’t let a training go to waste, and he was a former player, he knows how tough it can be.
‘‘He keeps telling me when you get that chance, as long as you’re working hard, you will be prepared.’’
The All Whites will likely line up in a 3-4-3 formation against China, a system that is designed to get the best out of Cacace.
In Thursday’s 0-0 draw, Cacace was one of NZ’s most dangerous players and created arguably their best chance by cutting inside and letting rip with a powerful shot that stung the goalkeeper’s gloves. The All Whites have not scored in almost a year now, and he would love nothing more than to score, or even set up, a goal in front of his home crowd. ‘‘Obviously every player wants to get on the ball and show what they can do, and I get more licence [to attack] when I play for the national team.