Keanu Baccus admits every trip away with the Socceroos is a dream come true. But the Aussie midfielder is adamant his focus is solely on taking another step closer to getting the top-six job done when St Mirren travel to Edinburgh tomorrow.
Baccus has enjoyed a whirlwind year since joining the Buddies last summer, becoming a key player for both club and country which culminated in a dream World Cup campaign in Qatar.
And while the 24-year-old loved his last trip back home, which saw him pick up his sixth cap against Ecuador in Sydney, the Buddies fan favourite is determined to stay zoned in on picking up precious points when St Mirren travel to Edinburgh to take on an out-of-form Hearts tomorrow afternoon.
Baccus told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “St Mirren have definitely helped me reach some short-term goals. But I have a lot more to do and prove in my career. Without coming here I probably wouldn’t have had that chance to play for my country.
“I’m super happy and hopefully I continue to get selected in the future. Every trip away with Australia is amazing.
“First and foremost I have to keep working hard here for St Mirren.
“I always believed in myself. As a player you have to, right? Have faith the right things will happen for my career and future. But it’s surreal. I’m super excited to see where this season can take us and push for that top-six spot.
“Playing in Europe was the first target for me, coming here and doing my absolute best for the club.
“The World Cup was a massive bonus and credit to the hard work I’ve put in since coming here.
“St Mirren was always the first thing on my mind, to do my best for the team. Everything else would come on the top of that success.
“First and foremost I want to do the best for my club. It’s my job.”
Baccus’ impressive performances in Qatar, which saw him go toe-to-toe with Lionel Messi’s eventual winners Argentina in the last-16, unsurprisingly caught the attention of some established clubs across Europe.
The former Western Sydney Wanderers star admits playing in the top flight in England remains one of his goals.
But he insists he’s in no rush to leave Paisley, with a year still on his current contract and the Saints currently looking to extend that deal further.
Baccus said: “As a player you want to reach the top. As a kid I always wanted to play in the Premier League, so that’s a long-term goal of mine.
“But at the minute I’m here and want to do the best I can here. The manager and team have taught me a lot. I want that to continue and to grow as a player. There’s a lot more I can still improve on.
“I try not to look too much online, it’s something I’ve learned as I got older. Try not to get ahead of myself by looking and reading stuff. It’s just on the screen, it’s not always factual.
“If I want to play in the Premier League then I have to do the business here. When you’re younger, you get carried away with stuff like that. As you get older you realise you need to stay in the moment, stay in the present, and things will come.”
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