Is this the most bizarre trophy in football? Australia will hoist strange motorised prize if they can overcome Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Beijing boilover
Australia could get their hands on one of the most bizarre trophies in world football if they beat Argentina on Thursday.
The Socceroos take on the reigning world champions in Beijing in a friendly seven months on after losing to the Albiceleste in the Round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup.
And should they pull off an upset win, they will receive the International Football Invitational Memorial Prize.
If the name is rather unimaginative, the trophy itself is considerably jazzier. Loosely based on the design of the World Cup, the trophy consist of a golden football perched upon a golden pedestal.
The football slowly rotates on its axis, giving the trophy a rather futuristic look, certainly when compared to the slab of concrete that the Mariners received in April for beating Newcastle Jets in the F3 derby.
The winner of Australia vs Argentina will receive a bizarre trophy on Thursday night
Meanwhile, Graham Arnold said Australia are embracing the hype ahead of the game, even though they know they are not the main attraction in town.
‘It’s just been amazing since we’ve been here,’ he told reporters on Wednesday.
‘The game is sold out – it sold out in one minute.
‘They’re expecting over 100 million viewers on TV, just here in China alone.
‘But for us it’s a fantastic opportunity to play the world champions straight after a World Cup, which has probably never happened before for the Socceroos.’
Played at the Workers’ Stadium, the friendly is the first major international event China has hosted since before the Covid-19 pandemic and Arnold is determined to feed off that energy of the fans.
‘The boys are in camp, the young boys are coming in with a lot of energy and the respect that we’re getting here from the Chinese football fans has been quite incredible with hundreds and hundreds of people outside the hotel every time we try to go outside the hotel to go to training,’ he said.
The Socceroos will be hoping to stop Lionel Messi to pull of a sensational upset
Messi scored the opening goal as Argentina beat Australia at the World Cup in December
‘So we’re pretty, pretty much stuck in the hotel until we go to training and everything because the hype is so big because it’s the first international event that has been put on since Covid finished here.
‘It’s a terrific occasion for the boys and Argentina obviously have got a very strong squad but I’m so excited for this because it’s our way of building and rebuilding what’s in front of us.’
The Socceroos will wear black armbands to honour 1974 World Cup coach Rale Rasic, who died on June 8, aged 87, with Arnold making a point of reflecting on his impact on Australian football.
Kick off in Beijing is scheduled for 10pm AEST.