Parma vice-captain Alessandro Circati has told ESPN that Tony Popovic's refusal to put a "ceiling" on the Socceroos had created a growing sense of belief within the squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Circati, 22, enjoyed a breakout season for the Crociati, making 32 league starts and helping his side to a 13th-place Serie A finish.
The defender has since been named in Australia's 26-man World Cup squad and played a full 90 minutes in the national team's 1-0 friendly loss to Mexico on Saturday.
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Asked to describe the Socceroos boss, Circati called the former Crystal Palace centre back "firm" and "very determined" -- qualities he said had helped build belief within the group ahead of clashes with Türkiye, the United States and Paraguay.
"He doesn't put a ceiling on what we can do," Circati said. "He's very ambitious and he knows that anything can potentially happen. He doesn't limit us in any way."
Circati said the Socceroos believed they were capable of progressing from Group D despite being viewed as easybeats by a number of U.S. pundits.
"Football is 90 minutes and anything can happen," he said. "It's not like a league season where if you are inferior or superior you finish on top or below. It's three games of 90 minutes and you could be in really good form and win them all."
Despite only working together in short international windows, he said Popovic's experience as a top-level defender had helped sharpen key parts of his game.
Aside from captaining Parma four times this season, Circati also became the youngest Socceroos captain in 44 years after Popovic handed him the armband during a friendly against New Zealand last year. The defender said he had always backed his mentality to handle high-pressure moments and appeared relaxed, ahead of what would be his first World Cup.
"I'm not too fazed by the big things, I'm not too fazed by the negative things either," he said.
"I've luckily been gifted these traits, and I think they help me in what I do."