Socceroo Carl Valeri hopes he is the first of many ACT soccer players to experience the buzz of playing international football in their home town.
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Valeri is an ambassador for next month's 13th Canberra Catholic Primary School Soccer Carnival, one of the biggest annual events held in the ACT for primary school children.
Although he has played in a World Cup and an Asian Cup, the midfielder rated last October's 5-0 friendly victory over minnow Malaysia as a career highlight.
It was the first time the 27-year-old, who made his senior Australian debut in 2007 against China - had played at Canberra Stadium.
''Playing in my home town for my country in front of so many family and friends was something I will remember for the rest of my life,'' he said. ''I hope I'm not the last Canberran to know what that feeling is like. Maybe in the next decade or so someone playing in this carnival might experience the same thing. I have not forgotten where I come from and really think it is important to encourage and support youngsters to keep playing the game and achieve all they can.''
About 1400 children representing most of the 45 eligible Catholic primary schools in the Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese will gather at the University of Canberra playing fields on March 18.
''This is a big football event for my home town and it's the sort of thing I would have loved to have been a part of if it was around when I was at primary school in Canberra,'' said Valeri, who attended both St Francis of Assisi at Calwell and St Clare of Assisi in Conder in the 1990s.
He was signed by Italian giant Inter Milan as a teenager and now plays in Italy with Serie B club Sassuolo and has represented Australia at every level since his playing days in Canberra with Tuggeranong United and Gungahlin Juventus.
The carnival is organised by St Matthew's Primary School at Page and principal Brenda Foley was honoured to have Valeri on board.
''Carl has shown in his fantastic career what can be achieved with lots of hard work,'' she said. ''He is an inspiration to the many budding footballers who will play in the carnival.''