Cacace happy to bide time in Belgium
In-demand All Whites star Liberato Cacace was in his apartment watching Netflix when he discovered he was being linked with a dream move to Italian giants Juventus.
The Sint-Truiden defender said his phone started blowing up with notifications alerting him to a tweet from respected football journalist Fabrizio Romano, revealing Juventus were keen to sign him for their under-23 team.
A New Zealand international of Italian heritage, Cacace was stunned to learn of the mega club’s interest. He said it was a major confidence booster to be linked with such a high-profile move after just six months in Europe.
‘‘It’s a massive boost. It just shows how well I’m doing in the league in my first season here,’’ Cacace said.
‘‘I believe I can go a long way here in Europe and hopefully it keeps going. But I have to keep producing on the pitch, keep that consistency going, and fingers crossed we’ll see what happens in the summer.’’
While playing in Italy’s Serie A might be his long-term goal, Cacace said he was in no rush to leave
Belgian Pro League club SintTruiden and felt a move to an under-23 would have been a backwards step.
‘‘I made it clear I wanted to finish the season here. It’s best not to rush into decisions where you don’t know what the outcome could be and I think it’s important for me to keep playing,’’ Cacace said.
‘‘This league is a very underrated league and maybe going to an under-23 team in Italy is not the right move for me, so that was my reason behind staying. But if I keep playing consistently here who knows what will happen?
‘‘I’m still only 20 and I keep telling myself that. The way I keep going a deal could pop up but it’s important to keep your feet on the ground and keep working hard.
‘‘If I keep performing who knows what could happen in the future. I remember playing in the derby against Genk, it was my fourth game for the club, and I played against a guy in the transfer window just signed for Atalanta in Serie A.
‘‘So everything can happen very quickly and this step from here to the top five leagues is not that far away so I just have to keep my head down and keep working at it.’’
The 20-year-old has been an automatic selection at left wingback for Sint-Truiden, a position he said felt more like a midfield role given how advanced he was stationed when the team was in possession.
‘‘I’m a lot higher than I did last season and so it feels like a new position for me, and it’s even more difficult than the position I played two years ago under Mark Rudan,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m getting pressure from all sorts of angles when I’m playing but it’s keeping me on my toes, and helping me become a better football player at the same time.’’
Cacace was signed by Australian Kevin Muscat after a breakout season with Wellington
Phoenix and admitted he feared for his starting spot when the former Melbourne Victory boss was sacked.
‘‘It was hard for me at first,’’ he said. ‘‘I thought maybe I would get dropped because a new manager was coming in.
‘‘But I’ve made some really good friends within the team, the captain has been very supportive of me, knowing I knew Kevin and Luc [Trani], and having a strong network around me helped me get through that period.’’
As it turned out, Cacace had nothing to worry about.
The team’s results have improved under new coach Peter Maes – Sint Truiden are now five points clear of the relegation zone – and Cacace taken his game to another level.
The 20-year-old said he was determined to continue his upwards trajectory by increasing his attacking output, having registered just two assists in 22 games without scoring a goal.
He believed those improvements would help him land a bigger move in the future.
‘‘It was hard for me at first. I thought maybe I would get dropped because a new manager was coming in. But he’s liked me from the get-go and is giving me chances every week.’’