Tom Rogic, Melbourne Victory attacking midfielder on loan from Scottish Premiership club Celtic, has an on-field audacity said to embody glimpses of magic.
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His dribbling ability, sporting swagger and lethal ball control have catapulted the young local star from the A-league to the world stage.
Despite the fame, the 21-year-old Radford College graduate says he grew up in Canberra just like any other kid.
“I never really thought at a young age that what I would be doing is playing professional football for a living,” he says.
“I just went to school and hung out with my mates. When I see them they can’t really believe how quickly things have happened to me in the past few years, sometimes I can’t really believe it either.”
As a junior, Rogic played for Tuggeranong United, and transitioned into senior clubs playing with ANU FC and Belconnen United in the ACT Premier league.
Rogic started entertaining the possibility of pursuing football full time in 2011 when he was selected to join the Nike Football Academy after winning The Chance, alongside eight young footballers, beating out 75,000 other hopefuls around the world.
“My ambition became more realistic – not so much a dream that I thought of as a kid anymore but an actual possible option,” he says.
“That’s when I started to believe in myself and things just worked out.”
Rogic says it took him a while to find his break into the spotlight due to Canberra’s lack of an A-league team, yet he never dreamed of doing anything else.
His determination lead to an A-league debut with the Central Coast Mariners in 2012, which lead to a life-changing transfer to Scottish Premier League champions Celtic.
“The Celtics have a huge religious following and the games have a crazy atmosphere. There’s also greater expectation but that’s expected,” he says.
“I feel really privileged to be part of it and I look forward to coming back.”
After Celtic pushed back multiple loan offers, and a deal with Japanese team Vegalta Sendai fell through, Melbourne Victory swooped in and sealed a loan deal on Rogic until May 2014. Although his move back to Australia is temporary, Rogic says it’s a good change.
“It’s nice to be back in my home country. I get to see my friends and family more often which is so great,” he says.
Among Rogic’s many achievements, he’s most proud of his inauguration into the Australian national team the Socceroos.
“It was a really special moment for me. Knowing that I was representing my country was incredible, and to do that is a pretty great achievement so I’m sure I won’t forget that,” he says.
For now Rogic’s main focus is to finish the A-league season on a high and then looks forward to putting back on the green and gold jersey.
“After the A-league I start World Cup preparation,” Rogic says.
“It’s extremely exciting and it’s hard to think much further than that at the moment,” he laughs.
