Evan Evgeniadis has always had a love affair with soccer, but he never expected it to take him around the world.
The St Albans 17-year-old has been playing soccer since he was four, but recently took up futsal (the indoor version of the world game) and has experienced a meteoric rise to be picked in the Australian youth team for a tour of Brazil this month.
“I’ve played regular soccer since I was a kid – Futsal was just something for the off season until recently,” Evgeniadis said.
“I played in a school competition, which is where I got noticed and [was] asked to trial for Victoria and it all just sort of happened from there.”
Evgeniadis represented Victoria at championships in Brisbane in September last year and Sydney in January this year, standing out enough to earn selection in the Australian side. He is the only player from Victoria to make the squad. He said he would embrace the whole experience.
“I actually found out I’d got the Australian nomination just a couple of days after losing the national final, so it was a bit of a rollercoaster,” he said.
“It was good to get that bit of recognition for helping to get my side to the final. It’s going to be a bit strange getting into a side with guys I’ve never really spoken to, I don’t know their names or how they play, so it will be a bit of a learning experience.
“I’m just taking it all as it comes. So many great Brazilian players have come through playing futsal, so it will be a crazy experience to see how we go against them and what our quality is like.”
Evgeniadis will fly out on May 10 for the three-week tour.
