Joel King capped off a whirlwind week with an exciting move to Odense BK in the Danish Superliga.
King, who is only 21, played his first minutes for the Socceroos from the start as they triumphed against Vietnam in Melbourne.
“This is a life-changing opportunity and I’m extremely excited for the challenge,” King said. FC Sydney.
“I loved every minute of my time at Sydney FC playing through the Academy and for the A-League men’s team.
“I learned a lot and without the help of my coaches and my teammates, I wouldn’t have this opportunity.
“I will be forever grateful to Sydney FC, my club which I have supported since I was five years old, and wish everyone continued success.”
The left-back has started every game for his club Sydney FC this season until their clash last Tuesday against Melbourne Victory, due to his selection for the Australian national team.
King has established himself as Sydney’s number one left-back for the past few seasons and was chosen alongside fellow A-League young men Marco Tilio and Kye Rowles for the squad.
However, unlike the other two debutants, King made his starting debut on his very first appearance for the team, after veteran left-back Aziz Behich was caught in a major snowstorm in Istanbul – Behich will meet the Socceroos in Muscat, Oman.
“Wednesday morning I got the news that Aziz (Behich) couldn’t make the flight and I immediately thought it was lucky for me,” King said.
“Arnie trusted me enough and I can’t thank him enough for trusting me tonight. I really enjoyed that.”
Following the news from Behich, the coaching staff alerted King that this was probably his chance to start, and veteran players were quick to rally around the yonugster, giving him plenty of advice for the game.
“As soon as I heard the news that Aziz wasn’t going to make it, they told me it would be a chance to play and they had complete faith in me,” King said.
“After training (Wednesday) a few of the lads like Mat Ryan, Trent Sainsbury and Matt Leckie gave me some advice so I can’t thank them enough for all their support.”
Debuting, King was his usual tough, composed self.
He kept simple passes to help move the ball and was exceptional in the few defensive duels he was involved in, despite the nerves he experienced before the game.
“To come out in front of this huge crowd and play for Australia is a dream come true,” he said.
I remember I thought half an hour had passed and I looked at the clock and it had been eight minutes!
“I was very nervous but after the first 10-15 minutes the nerves went away and I started to get into my rhythm and play my normal game.”
King could win his second cap on Wednesday morning (AEDT), with the Socceroos taking on Oman at 3am AEDT.
