Before the start of the UEFA Champions League on September 7, we consulted all Socceroo playing in Europe this season.
This year’s European competitions will give a handful of Australians the chance to shine on football’s biggest stages.
Aaron Mooy (Celtic)
After joining the reigning Scottish champions on a two-year deal, Aaron Mooy could make his UEFA Champions League debut this season for Celtic.
While Socceroo has never played in UEFA competition before, the 31-year-old is no stranger to playing against European heavyweights after spending three seasons in the English Premier League.
In what is the first time since the 2017/18 season that the Hoops have reached the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition, Celtic have been drawn alongside Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Group F.
So far this season, Mooy has five appearances off the bench in the Scottish Premiership and one Scottish League Cup start and hopes to add to that in the Champions League.
Maty Ryan (Copenhagen)
After securing a transfer from Real Sociedad to FC Copenhagen last month, Socceroos goalkeeper Maty Ryan is also in line to appear in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time.
Having helped Valencia qualify for the Champions League via the play-offs in 2015, Ryan once again produced some impressive saves to help Copenhagen overtake Trabzonspor in the play-offs last month.
Ryan hopes to reproduce that form when Copenhagen take on Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla in a tough Group G.
While Ryan has never appeared in the Champions League group stage, he has appeared 27 times in the UEFA Europa League during his spells at Club Brugge, Valencia, KRC Genk and Real Sociedad.
Nikita Rukavytsya (Maccabi Haifa)
Like Ryan, Nikita Rukavytsya’s Maccabi Haifa qualified for the Champions League via play-offs after beating FK Crvena Zvezda in two legs.
The 35-year-old returned to the Israeli club in 2022 after a previous spell of five years in which he scored 64 goals. Rukavytsya will be looking to rediscover that form on the biggest stage when Maccabi take on PSG, Juventus and Benfica in Group H.
Having only appeared in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League play-offs before, Rukavytsya is also in line to make his European debut.
Other Socceroos in UEFA competitions
While Kye Rowles is unlikely to return from injury in time for Hearts of Midlothian’s UEFA Conference League campaign, Nathaniel Atkinson is in line to feature in the competition when Hearts take on ACF Fiorentina, FK Rīgas Futbola Skola and İstanbul Başakşehir in Group A.
Meanwhile, James Holland could also feature in the UEFA Conference League when FK Austria Wien take on Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Lech Poznan and Villarreal in Group C.