He is the wing wizard who shone brightly in the A-League for just two years before heading to make his name in Europe. Now Awer Mabil wants to help Australia qualify for the Olympics and he could become the Socceroos’ secret weapon come the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

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WHAT’S HIS STORY?

There are few rags to riches stories like Awer Mabil’s in Australian sport; from South Sudanese refugee to A-League star. Mabil was born in Kenya to parents fleeing the war in their native Sudan, the conflict that claimed the life of his father. Awer was raised in a refugee camp where he was first introduced to football at the age of five. Bottles in socks were used as balls until the age of ten, when he arrived in Australia. After starting off at amateur club Playford City, his ability was noticed and he joined the South Australian National Training Centre. In 2012 he made his debut for Campbelltown City in the state’s National Premier League, at just 16, and he was soon spotted by local A-League outfit Adelaide United. Michael Valkanis, then Adelaide’s National Youth Team coach, remembers a raw but talented teenager. “I first came across Awer when he was about 15, 16 years old,” he says. “He was an exciting young player full of energy. I loved his whole way of playing – it was all about attack.”

Mabil quickly impressed in the youth team with his ability and determination. In less than a year, he made his first-team debut. “When we first brought him into our youth league, we told him come twice a week,” Valkanis recollects. “He’d catch two buses and a train and come four nights a week. We trained two. That’s the sort of attitude and commitment he had. He wasn’t hard to coach because he always wanted to do extra.” It was head coach John Kosmina who gave Mabil his chance, coming off the bench on to the right wing. But it was under Spaniard Josep Gombau, who served as a mentor, that the attacker thrived. In the 2013-2014 season Mabil made 21 of a possible 28 appearances, starting all but five matches. He would go on to help the Reds claim the inaugural FFA Cup in December.

“Gombau gave me confidence to show what I can do on the pitch,” Mabil explains. “He helped me a lot.” The pacey winger who could bamboozle defenders became a hot prospect quickly and in July 2015, after an earlier trial with Ajax, he joined Danish club FC Midtjylland.

WHO’S HE LIKE?

Quick, powerful and with the desire to beat opponents with the ball at his feet, Mabil is one of a kind when it comes to Australian footballers. We struggle to produce players with both speed and stepover; those who can stretch defenders and launch lightning attacks in transition. Mabil’s African heritage and his raw ability make him a unique asset. Valkanis believes the 20-year-old is special: “Whether he was playing youth league or in the A-League, he sees the game in the same way. He plays it natural and I think that’s really exciting. He is an exciting player; he’s the sort of player people love to watch.” Mabil is not the finished product, which is unsurprising considering his age and how short a time in organised football – only five years – it has been. But it is his work ethic and drive, as much as his pure skill, that have him positioned for a bright future. “It is a game; people have a lot worse experiences from where he’s from,” Valkanis says. “So he enjoys it and gives it everything he’s got. Awer is really determined; hungry to make that next step.”

Mabil has already broken into FC Midtjylland’s first team and gotten a taste of the Danish Superliga. He admits the transition hasn’t been easy, but that he is finding his feet. The Olympics in Rio is his next target, after an eight-year wait for the Olyroos, and another World Cup is only two more years away. “To get to an Olympics is ... not everyone has the chance to go to an Olympics. We have got a chance now, so we’re going to work hard and do whatever it takes to be there. It would be a dream come true.”

WHAT DO THEY SAY?

“I think he will be a big, big player. I hope in the future, in one or two years, he will be a big star.”

– Marcelo Carrusca, Adelaide United's Argentine import.

“Awer had that something special; that ability in a one-on-one situation. He always wants to beat a player. He has beautiful speed and all the trickery to get past a player.”

– Michael Valkanis, former Socceroo.

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