Not jumping to conclusions

OF all the Socceroos, Mat Ryan is the least likely to get ahead of himself. There’s little danger of Australia’s goalkeeper daring to dream of another World Cup until victory over Honduras tonight confirms that.

Too often football’s fates have tripped Ryan at the cruellest time. It’s no wonder that “living life in the present” has become so important to one of two Australians, along with Aaron Mooy, impressing in the English Premier League.

The A-League grand final taught a teenage Ryan that no game is won until the very end. The last World Cup showed the margins at the highest level, where one mistake let Holland back into a game that Australia could have won. Injuries sabotaged his time in Spain’s La Liga.

Since July, though, so far so good. Brighton boss Chris Hughton’s decision to invest in Ryan for his newly promoted side is paying off and now the World Cup beckons.

“Looking back at the past, the journey that life takes you on is an interesting one; you try to embrace it as much as you can,” Ryan said.

“You quite often take it for granted a little bit, the things you’ve gone through. I think back on the time at previous clubs and it’s gone so fast.

“It’s always the case that you try to live in the present ... that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment; I’m just enjoying football again. It’s been great.”