Santa Clara: Jordan Bos is a man of relatively few words. Fortunately, his Socceroos teammates had a truckload of superlatives to describe him, his performance against Paraguay, his future in the game … and even his rig.
“He’s just an absolute athlete,” said defender Harry Souttar, smiling at the mere mention of Bos’ name. “I don’t want to sound a bit strange here, but the guy’s body is unbelievable to look at.”
Too late, Harry.
Vibes were high after Australia’s precious 0-0 draw with Paraguay on Friday (AEST) confirmed their passage to the World Cup knockout stage, and players were so keen to talk up the star of the show that they didn’t really care how it sounded.
Aiden O’Neill was named the official man of the match, but even he conceded Bos was probably robbed of the award after his relentless, tireless 90-minute display, one that alerted the rest of the world to what Bos is capable of.
Many Australians already knew what he could do. So do followers of Feyenoord, his club in the Netherlands. But World Cups tend to be a way of introducing players to everybody else. Against Paraguay, Bos made the best possible first impression to those millions of new eyes.
The so-called Gareth Bale clone was Tony Popovic’s surprise choice at right wing-back – a role that instead enabled him to unleash his inner Arjen Robben, his childhood hero, ripping inside onto his left boot with frightening regularity.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t score like him, but I tried,” Bos said.
As the relief of the result washed over the Socceroos at Levi’s Stadium, Milos Degenek declared that Bos, in his “biased” view, was: in the top five left-backs in the world; the best in the world for his age in the position, unquestionably; and probably the best Australia has ever had, for good measure.
Cristian Volpato said Bos was a “world-class” player who could go to any club he wanted; indeed, this was the sort of game that would pre-empt a transfer bid from the big end of town.
Nestory Irankunda went even further, indulging in a bit of knowing puffery.
“He’s the best player in the world, Jordy Bos,” he said. “Best wing-back in the world. So talented. What a guy.”
After muted performances against Turkey and the United States, the 23-year-old Bos exploded into life in Santa Clara, tearing up Paraguay’s left side in tandem with Volpato, bowling past defenders with raw pace and power.
“I was enjoying it, to be honest,” Bos said.
Bos had not played at right wing-back before, and was not expecting to be moved there by Popovic, where Jacob Italiano’s injury left a vacancy that could have been filled by a more natural fit, or at least someone with a dominant right foot.
But the shift to the other side of the field turned out to be a brilliant gambit by Popovic, and Bos produced his best game of the tournament thus far, and by far.
No player on the pitch completed more dribbles, took more shots or created more chances than Bos. As others began to visibly tire, he kept finding reserves of energy. All he was missing was the goal – or goal assist – to reward his constant effort.
The Socceroos have earned a week-long break until their next fixture, and most of Bos’ teammates will probably need it to recover. But Bos said he’d be ready to go again in a couple of days.
“Different level, eh?” midfielder Jackson Irvine said.
“One of the best individual performances I’ve seen from a Socceroo in a very long time, especially at this level. Plays with absolute fearlessness, and just the athleticism is just something to be amazed by.
“We’re very lucky to have him. It shows the level of player that he is, and there’s still a ceiling left that hasn’t even been hit yet. The potential is incredible.”
And there’s more to come. There will need to be, from Bos and from the Socceroos, if they are to last longer in this World Cup than another week. Though they controlled the match, and kept Paraguay to very few clear-cut chances, they failed to score themselves for the second game in a row.
“We showed glimpses,” Bos said. “I could have scored a couple. From now on, if everyone puts their best foot forward and we get chances, we just have to finish it. The sky’s our limit.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
