The attacker was compared to the former Socceroos captain by team-mate Archie Thompson.
Australia debutant Tomi Juric is playing it cool after his international bow and being compared to Socceroos legend Mark Viduka.
The Western Sydney Wanderers striker was a surprise pick to go to the East Asian Games by head coach Holger Osieck and was soon winning his first senior cap after coming off the bench during the goalless draw with South Korea in Seoul last Saturday.
Team-mate Archie Thompson was quick to liken the 25-year-old to Viduka, drawing parallels on their playing styles, with Juric initially reluctant to accept the similarities.
“Possibly,” he said when asked by Goal.com if he concurred with Thompson. “But like I said I could do that role but let me do the talking on the pitch and [I would prefer to] stay out of the media.”
However, he soon relented and entertained Thompson’s assessment along with the possibility that he could share certain comparative traits with one of Australia’s greatest ever players, describing it as a huge morale boost.
“Archie is top class player, he scored I think five goals in a grand final,” Juric added. “I think he’s the only one who has achieved that. I don’t think anyone’s done it before.
“So it means a lot and gives me a lot of confidence coming from him especially.”
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