James Troisi has had a strange Socceroos experience.

Back in 2011, the 20-year-old was a national team regular when he was making a name for himself at Turkish club Kayserispor, but he fell off Holger Osieck’s radar unexpectedly.

Till now, the half-Greek, half-Italian South Australian has never represented his country in the World Cup, but has nine caps so far for the national team.

When the Socceroos’ coach, Ange Postecoglou, was managing Melbourne Victory, he saw immense potential in Troisi and begged him to play for Victory on loan from his club Atlanta. For Troisi, it soon became a no-brainer, when he realised he was finally being recognised for his solid performances.

A turn of fate then had Postecoglou leaving his post for Victory and taking on the even bigger role of Socceroos coach, putting the goalscoring Troisi back on the international radar.

“As a player it is a privilege to play for your national team and I don’t take that for granted,” Troisi said when he was called up for the World Cup.

“If you’re not playing regularly at your club, then I understand you shouldn’t be getting called up for your national team, so first and foremost for me it has always been about my club football and if I’m doing well there then hopefully I’m getting the call.

Troisi had a record breaking season at Victory, playing 35 games and scoring 15 goals for the side. He soon became a fan favourite and was grabbing headlines with fellow Greek, Kostas Barbarouses, for their record number of goals.

Troisi was named the Players’ Player of the Year at Melbourne Victory, showing just what an impression he made on the team, something he wasn’t able to do in his earlier Socceroos days.

“I was pretty disappointed with the previous two coaches because I was playing some good football in some good leagues and not getting acknowledged, really, for whatever reason,” he says.

“But hopefully I’ve turned the page and at the moment it seems to be working out pretty well for me.”

His inclusion in the World Cup squad shows Postecoglou’s belief in giving young malleable players the ability to shine.

In his preliminary squad of 27, nine players were from the A-League, with many getting their first ever caps in the selection.

Troisi believes the Postecoglou philosophy will see the Australian team qualify for many World Cups to come.

“It’s a new era and it’s time for players like myself and younger players coming through to step up and show the ability that we have,” Troisi says.

There’s no secret that Troisi’s inclusion on the World Cup squad will do wonders for his international career.

The A-League might have been a risky decision for Troisi, but it paid dividends for him. Without switching to Melbourne Victory, Troisi would have never made it into the Socceroos squad.

The South Australian will be showing the world his talent, against some of the best players in the world. He featured in Australia’s first match against Chile when he was called on in the second half.