Cammy Devlin admits it will be 'mental' to face the likes of Kylian Mbappe with Australia at the World Cup.
The Hearts star is one of three players to represent the Tynecastle side with Nathaniel Atkinson and Kye Rowles also part of Graham Arnold's 26-man squad. It's a massive occasion for any professional footballer to represent their country and the fact he is doing it on the biggest global stage is still 'surreal' for the midfielder.
He knows the Socceroos will wear the underdogs tag, but even up against the best in the word the 24-year-old is out to surprise people and cause a major shock. Devlin and Co also come up against Denmark and Tunisia in their section but the opener against Les Blues is an opportunity he wants to cherish as you never know how many times you will come up against the biggest names in the game.
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Speaking to Edinburgh Evening News, he said: “I remember my dad waking me and my brother up with an alarm to get up and go into the living room together. The thought of actually saying I am going is so surreal. The World Cup is the pinnacle of probably any sport.
“I don’t need to name the players we have the potential to face. Everyone knows how good they are. They’re some of the best in the world.
“It’s just mental to think I could be sharing a pitch with them, but I want to go and enjoy the experience as much as I can because you don’t know how often this is going to happen.
“But at the same time I want to play, and I want to play well and I want to win with the Socceroos. I want to surprise people. I think that’s what our mentality will be, we’ll be the underdogs, and we’ll wear that tag.”
He added: “I think you have no choice but to adapt.
“If France are on their game – and they usually are – it is going to be very hard. It will be a completely different type of game than I’m used to, not only in Europe but with Hearts in the Scottish league.
"But we always have a good game plan as a national team. I’m sure it will be tough, but it will be a great experience. If we can get a result against them it would be massive.”
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