Harry was my hero... now he’s my coach and I have got to start impressing HIM, says Mooy
TO Aaron Mooy, Harry Kewell has been an idol and an inspiration. Now, as their working lives coincide, Mooy’s challenge is to try and impress Celtic’s new first-team coach on an almost daily basis.
At 31, there isn’t much chance of the midfielder being star-struck but that wasn’t the case when he attended Westfield Sports High School in New South Wales.
Kewell was its most famous graduate, excelling a decade before and becoming a standardbearer for Australian football with Leeds United, Liverpool and others.
In October 2006, by which time he’d won the Champions League and been to the last 16 of a World Cup, Kewell visited his old place of education and was told of a promising Year Ten student who was about to join the Bolton Wanderers academy. A handshake and some friendly advice were imparted on Mooy.
It took the new Parkhead signing a little time — and a return home to Australia to regroup — but he eventually made his own mark on England’s top flight with Huddersfield and Brighton.
In the most recent of 52 caps for his country, Mooy helped secure a place at this winter’s World Cup in Qatar.
It’s a strong CV, but Kewell will always generate admiration as arguably the greatest of all Australian talents. Getting to work closely with him is another reason for Mooy’s excitement over a two-year deal at Parkhead.
‘Obviously growing up following football he was a megastar in Australian football and he did really well in his career,’ enthused Mooy.
‘He had an amazing career and with the national team, so he’s someone I’ve always looked up to.
‘He’s started his coaching career and I’m sure he’ll learn a lot from Ange and bring his side to the team as well.
‘Did we go to the same school? Yeah. He left before I got there but the school was like a sports school.
‘In New South Wales, they do trials and stuff and select the best players then you go to school and you get training and your subjects. There’s lots of extra training which helped a lot.
‘Quite quickly everyone finds out Harry Kewell went there — and then everyone wants to go there!
‘He’s part of the Golden generation, they call it in Australia. The team was full of players playing in the top leagues.
‘They were regulars and they went further than any Australian team has gone in the World Cup. They inspired a lot in me — and inspired a lot of kids to play football.’
Mooy was part of Australia’s World Cup squad for Russia in 2018, playing all three of their matches as Graham Arnold’s side finished bottom of Group C with a single point.
A chance to do better and create a legacy similar to Kewell is available in the Middle East this summer. For Mooy, though, Celtic must be the immediate priority.
After leaving Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port in January, he is determined to build match-sharpness and prove his worth in Ange Postecoglou’s plans.
‘Obviously that’s in my head,’ said Mooy of the World Cup. ‘But it’s in the back of my head just now.
‘I don’t want to think about it too much because it’s a long time away and first I have an amazing opportunity here at a big clubt, so that’s what I’m focusing on.’
Celtic have also provided a welcome return to Scotland. Mooy never quite became established after joining St Mirren from Bolton in 2010, but that period is fondly recalled for a first meeting with wife Nicola. They now have two children together and the family is settled in the Glasgow area.
Reflecting on his time in Paisley — which included a troublesome back injury — Mooy admitted he wasn’t quite ready for the opportunity.
‘It was a good experience for me,’ said Mooy. ‘It exposed me to what it is like in professional football.
‘When you play reserve football, it’s not like you can go down or be relegated. That exposed me to that.
‘It was a big eye-opener. Obviously I wasn’t that successful there but I think I’ve improved my mental side of the game, which is very important.
‘Maybe then I was a little weak mentally and not resilient enough. Impatient, I’d probably say. These things you learn as you grow as a person and a footballer.’
After leaving St Mirren in 2012, Mooy went back to Australia and flourished during spells with Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City.
A place on the books of Manchester City followed, before moves to Huddersfield, Brighton and China. Looking back now, though, did Mooy ever fear his chance to make it in Europe had gone in the wake of his Saints disappointment?
‘It was always the plan for me to
come back,’ he replied. ‘That was my dream as a kid — to play in Europe, play at the highest level I could.
‘Obviously a few years go by in Australia and you think: “Am I going to get the chance?”. I was lucky enough to get another opportunity and I’m proud I got to play at a good level in the Premier League.’
One thing his time in Paisley did deliver was a goal against Rangers. Mooy struck on Christmas Eve, 2011 as a nine-man Ibrox team slid to a 2-1 defeat.
‘It was my first professional league goal so it was a big moment for me,’ he recalled. ‘My brother and best mate were in the stand. If you see the celebration I’m pointing at them.
‘They’d come over especially for that game and to see me, so it was a special moment for me.’
With Kewell’s guidance available, Mooy will hope to create many more such moments in the colours of Celtic.
CELTIC defender Osaze Urhoghide has rejoined KV Oostende on a season-long loan. The 22-year-old has struggled for game time since joining from Sheffield Wednesday last summer and has been allowed to return to the Belgian club where he spent the second half of last term.