Socceroos star Awer Mabil says he's excited to play in front of friends and family after more than a decade in Europe. (triple j hack: Arianna Lucente)
Socceroos star Awer Mabil says he was being himself when he called Pauline Hanson's plan for a monoculture in Australia "bulls***".
He says it's important to celebrate multiculturalism because that's what makes Australia great.
Mabil is looking forward to putting down roots in Australia after spending more than a decade playing in Europe.
Awer Mabil will never forget his first football, because he made it himself.
"We used to collect plastic bags and then tie them up into a ball shape," he tells triple j hack.
Mabil is remembering his childhood in the Kakuma Refugee Camp where he was born in north-western Kenya.
"Football was 100 per cent an escape for us," he says.
"If you're hungry, you don't feel hungry because you're just playing for the moment with your friends.
"Then when I came to Australia, I was like, 'oh … I don't have to make the balls from the scratch.'"
Mabil and his family arrived in Australia as refugees when he was 10-years-old.
Since then he's established himself as one of Australia's most well-known football players, representing the nation at two World Cups, and being recognised as the Young Australian of the Year in 2023.
Awer Mabil has become one of Australia's most recognisable footballers and was named Young Australian of the Year in 2023. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) (AAP: Dave Hunt)
Now 30, Mabil is back in Australia after a decade playing in Europe, achieving his dreams.
Earlier this year, the Socceroos star signed a three-year deal with Melbourne City and says he's looking forward to putting some roots down here.
