Garang Kuol is oblivious to the hype.
The 18-year-old is about to become the youngest Socceroo to play at a World Cup.
And the South Sudanese refugee will do so amid an unprecedented buzz about his precocious talents.
He's been labelled Australia's best footballing prospect since Harry Kewell; described as a World Cup wildcard by his gushing Socceroos coach Graham Arnold.
But Kuol isn't listening.
"I don't really pay attention to what is said around me," he told reporters in Doha on Friday.
"I'm just really focused on what I do on the field in training and games.
"If I'm not playing well, I'm not going to go and look at something online to cheer me up.
"What I look for is what makes me happy and what gives me that motivation to keep pushing forward."
Kuol was given his first Australian cap on September 25, becoming the youngest Socceroo to debut since a 17-year-old Kewell in 1996.
And when unleashed by Arnold in Qatar, Kuol will become the youngest Socceroo ever to play at a World Cup - Daniel Arzani was 19 when he featured at the 2018 edition in Russia.
But like the hype, Kuol brushed aside the looming landmark.
"It's just like a label," he said.
Kuol will depart his A-League Men's club Central Coast Mariners for English Premier League giants Newcastle in January.
And all this before he's actually started any game at senior level.
"I have got to perform on the field," he said.
"For me it's all about just having confidence in yourself and being ruthless and having that mindset to want to create something and make an impact."
Already, Kuol has noticed a rapid escalation in Doha as Australia prepare for their World Cup opener against France next Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).
The Socceroos held a truncated practice game on Thursday which left an impact on Kuol.
"The intensity was killer," he said
"Just still getting used to it, you know.
"The boys play quick and the ball zips around so there was a whole lot of chasing.
"It was three sets of 13 minutes, I played all three of those. We just tried to mirror what France would do."
