Twenty months ago, Ruben Zadkovich called Lucas Herrington the best defender in Australian football. Nobody bought it. The kid was a teenager playing A-League. Now he's on the verge of becoming the youngest Australian to ever start a World Cup match, and Zadkovich looks like a prophet.
Herrington, 18, made his Socceroos debut just three months ago in the FIFA Series and has started every one of Australia's three matches since. That's not a rotation — that's trust. Tony Popovic doesn't hand those shirts out as favours.
From Brisbane to the World Cup in under two years
The trajectory is striking. January 2025: leaves Brisbane Roar for Colorado in MLS. March 2025: debuts for Australia. June 2025: in the squad for a World Cup.
Credit where it's due — Zadkovich gave him his professional debut at the Roar, and Herrington hasn't forgotten it. "Without that, I probably wouldn't be here today," he said. That kind of grounded acknowledgement from an 18-year-old is its own signal. Panic merchants don't talk like that.
What's also telling is the company he's keeping. Alessandro Circati — 22, playing in Italy, one of the first names on the Socceroos sheet — has taken Herrington under his wing. "Don't worry about mistakes," was Circati's advice. For a centre-back about to potentially face Turkiye at a World Cup, that's exactly the right thing to hear.
What it means for Australia's backline
Mark Schwarzer, who holds the record for Socceroos appearances, put it plainly: "For such a young guy, he seems so relaxed and so much like he's been there for a long time." That's not easy to fake under scrutiny. Defenders who crumble under pressure tend to show it early.
Australia open Group D against Turkiye in Vancouver on June 14, with a warm-up against Switzerland in San Diego first. If Herrington starts that opener, the Socceroos' defensive line suddenly has a different risk profile — not because he's poor, but because he's three months into international football. Anyone pricing Australia's defensive markets should be factoring in exactly how young this backline can look.
"I've worked my whole life for an opportunity like this," Herrington said. "It came sooner than I thought."
It came sooner than anyone thought. That's the whole story.
