Lucas Herrington, the 18-year-old defender who became the youngest Australian to start a men's World Cup match, has drawn comparisons to a Rolls-Royce from teammate Harry Souttar and is already linked with a move to Barcelona. His next transfer is expected to fetch a price close to or exceeding the Australian record of £15 million (approximately A$26 million) set by Souttar in 2023.
Composed debut secures Australia's progress
Herrington started in Australia's crucial 0-0 draw against Paraguay, a result that secured their place in the last 32. A 1-0 defeat would have eliminated Australia and sent Iran through, making Herrington's performance vital. Despite being targeted by Paraguay in the first half, he displayed calm distribution and physical dominance both in the air and on the ground.
"You wouldn't think that's his first World Cup game. The guy was absolutely composed, calm," Souttar said. "You can see the guy's like a Rolls-Royce."
Rapid rise from A-League to World Cup stage
Herrington's journey has been meteoric. In the past year, he leaped from the A-League with Brisbane Roar to Major League Soccer, where he faced stars like Lionel Messi, Thomas Müller, and Son Heung-min, and now to the starting XI of the national side in the World Cup. Brisbane Roar had negotiated a 20% sell-on clause when they sold him to Colorado last year but cashed in for around A$500,000 before the World Cup, a decision likely to cost them millions.
Midfielder Connor Metcalfe said: "They'll probably be kicking themselves."
Unfazed by transfer speculation
Herrington handles talk of transfers and Barcelona links with the same composure he shows on the pitch. "I'm just trying to stay present and really enjoy this moment. It's my first one, hopefully first of many, but it doesn't come around very often," he said. "I'm really just trying to put my best forward and work hard, and we'll see what comes after it."
Metcalfe added: "Nothing really fazes him, he never looks nervous, I'm not nervous when he has the ball. Sometimes if a young player is playing, a lot of the other boys can be nervous they're going to make a rash decision, but he is calm on the ball."
Serenity comes naturally
Herrington cannot explain his calmness. "I try to stay calm, I mean it's not something that I work on. I think it might just come naturally, but I just believe in my abilities, believe in the team's abilities and just play what's in front of me."
His World Cup debut was later than expected. He started both warm-up matches but was overlooked for Cam Burgess and Jason Geria in earlier games. Coach Tony Popovic told him days before the Paraguay clash he would start. "I was ready for all three games and I just wanted to be involved, so when I got the nod for the Paraguay game I was over the moon," Herrington said. "I let my parents know. Mum was a bit nervous but she was more excited than anything."
Fan zone video surfaces
Herrington's story gained further attention when a video from the 2022 World Cup showed a 14-year-old Herrington watching the Socceroos in a Brisbane fan zone. "I've been supporting the Socceroos at the World Cup for as long as I can remember, so to be here is special," he said. "It's another one of those moments that I pinch myself."
When told of Souttar's Rolls-Royce comparison, Herrington was happy with the analogy. "No, I'm happy with Rolls-Royce. I'll take that."
