“You see some of the Mariners games where they’re 2-0 down, he’s coming on equalising the game with two goals or two assists, or he’s creating something, and that’s going to be massive for us, especially in such a big tournament.”

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Kuol is his unflappability. Not once has he seemed overwhelmed during his meteoric rise, or fallen victim to the pitfalls that present themselves when a young athlete becomes so famous, so quickly.

Not when he faced off against Barcelona for the A-Leagues All Stars and tore them to shreds, not when Premier League club Newcastle United came calling for him with a big-money contract, and not even when Graham Arnold handed him his Australia debut two months ago. To nobody’s shock, within minutes of coming on, he crafted a goalscoring opportunity out of nothing.

“He’s just a wonderful kid, full of confidence,” said defender Thomas Deng, one of three Sudanese-Australians in the Socceroos squad along with Kuol and Awer Mabil.

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“He’s come in here and everyone loves him. Everyone gets along with him.

“Me and Awer, we’ve just tried to look after him and make his transition a lot easier.

“I’m just so happy that he’s got this opportunity to experience a World Cup at 18 years old. It’s definitely going to better his career. I think he has a really bright future.”

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