Gameiro praises Schwarzer influence

Since joining Premier League outfit Fulham at the beginning of 2009, Gameiro has been infused with a self-belief that has come from contact with a professional environment and with the revered Australia goalkeeper.

A late replacement for Mathew Leckie, Gameiro is hopeful of making an impact in the three-week tournament to be held in Colombia.

“It was disappointing to miss out on the original squad because I thought I had done enough but I’m just really happy to be part of it all now,” Gameiro said.

“It wasn’t until I was actually going that I realised how much I really wanted to go.

“This is another step along that path towards being a successful professional footballer, another aim that I had set for myself.

"It will be a fantastic experience and opportunity. Even if I never achieve what I hope to achieve in football, I will always have this.

"I will always have represented my country and that is something that I have always wanted to do.”

Gameiro has forged a close relationship with Schwarzer and says he has already had a significant influence on his career.

“Mark is the ultimate professional in everything he does and when you spend time with him you can’t help but notice that and hopefully a lot of that has rubbed off on me,” Gameiro said.

“Mark has just impressed upon me the importance of confidence as a striker, you have to have that confidence and you have to have that belief in yourself if you want to succeed even if things are not going that well,” Gameiro said.

“Someone like Fernando Torres, when he isn’t going so well his confidence is suffering and it can just get worse so you have to guard against that within yourself.”

As a 15-year-old Gameiro planned to play for the Wollongong Wolves for the rest of his career. He now realises this World Cup offers a great chance for career progression.

“A good performance here is a great thing to have on my resume,” he said.

“To have a professional contract and then to play for my country, this all means I can really start to get some momentum going. It has been a challenge over the last 18 months but one I have really enjoyed and I’m sure it will be more of the same in Colombia..”

Gameiro said an advance to the knock-out stages was a realistic goal for the Young Socceroos.

“We have a good squad and we have the confidence that we can do something special at this World Cup,” he said.

“We won’t be among the favourites but you only have to look at the Socceroos in Germany in 2006 to see what is possible.

"I’m sure with the talent we have we can make something happen at this tournament. We are all really proud to be there and want to show that out on the field.”