He didn't get much sleep when his club sealed promotion to the top flight of Italian football. And Carl Valeri is again prepared for a nervous fortnight as he prays for the Socceroos to confirm their place at next year's World Cup.
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Back in Canberra as he recovers from a long-term ankle injury, the 28-year-old midfielder is keenly watching Australia's progress in its final two qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq.
Valeri was part of the Socceroos' squad at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and would be a part of the current campaign had he not injured his ankle during last November's friendly with South Korea, in a sour end to his 50th cap for his country.
When he does return, he is likely to do it in one of the world's elite leagues, after his club Sassuolo earned a place in Serie A, alongside the likes of Juventus and Inter Milan.
''I lost a lot of sleep for the team over promotion, then as soon as that finished I started thinking about the Socceroos,'' Valeri said.
''Naturally everyone does worry, but I have a lot of confidence in the team. It's a great bunch of guys, hard workers, very professional and I'm very confident that we'll get there.
''I'm their No.1 fan for the next two games.''
The Socceroos take on Jordan at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday followed by Iraq the following week in Sydney, knowing their destiny is in their hands to secure a top-two spot in their pool and automatic qualification to next year's World Cup.
Valeri's long road to the top means he is well aware nothing can be taken for granted.
The Tuggeranong United junior arrived in Italy when he was 17, playing with several second-tier clubs before earning promotion to the top.
His club made him sweat it out. Sassuolo blew a couple of chances before sealing the Serie B championship in the final minute of the final game of the season.
''We're all excited because it's been a dream to play Serie A ever since I left 11 seasons ago,'' Valeri said. ''It was a big bunch of emotions, because we had four weeks to get three points and we left it to the last game.
''I didn't think I even heard the final whistle. There's a lot of relief, joy and excitement of what is to come.''
Valeri is undergoing physiotherapy at his old stomping ground, the AIS, and hopes to return to running in the next few weeks. He doesn't want to come back before he is ready and is using both a Serie A campaign and the prospect of going to a second World Cup as motivation.
''I'm at a time in my life where I don't want to mess around,'' he said.
''It's a World Cup year (next year), so I want to be right for that and it's a long Serie A season. It'll be great to play against some of the best clubs in the world.''
