Craig Goodwin is unsure if he will remain in Saudi Arabia beyond this season as the Socceroos’ most reliable attacking threat weighs up his options in club football with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.
Despite being 33, Goodwin is still just as crucial to Australia’s fortunes as ever, with the ex-Adelaide United winger assisting two of the Socceroos’ goals from set pieces in Thursday’s 5-1 thumping of Indonesia.
With the ability to play as a winger or playmaker, Goodwin has also registered three goals through the qualifiers to help Australia remain second in Group C, holding onto an automatic berth.
But things have been less positive in clubland for the 30-cap international, whose side Al Wehda are facing relegation from the Saudi Pro League just as he comes off contract.
“At the moment I am assessing my options. I’ve enjoyed my time in Saudi but I have to look at what I want to do personally and what my family wants to do as well,” Goodwin said.
“There are options starting to float around and nothing’s really set in stone just yet.
“I haven’t had any sniffs or interest from Europe but I’m open to the idea. I played two years in Holland (with Sparta Rotterdam), but that’s as much as I played in Europe and if it comes up, maybe that’s something I’ll take up.
“If it doesn’t, I’ve got no regrets about anything what’s happened in my career.
“It (next year’s World Cup) is part of that conversation. I know I’m 33 at the moment but I feel I’m still within my prime and playing some of my best football. I’ve been very consistent over the last five or six years in terms of outputs of goals and assists”
Goodwin’s value will surely only increase if he can help Australia take a further step towards an automatic World Cup qualification berth against China in Hangzhou on Tuesday.
With three games left in their group, Australia (10 points) sit just one point above the Saudis, who beat the Chinese 1-0 on Thursday and face the already-qualified Japan next week.
China, Bahrain and Indonesia are all on six points.
The Chinese were stubborn and tough to break down when they faced the Socceroos in Adelaide last October.
Goodwin scored on his home patch but it was his free kick assist for Lewis Miller late in the first half which set Australia on their way to a 3-1 win.
“It’s always nice to have that set-piece strength and to be able to break a game open,” Goodwin said.
“When it is so tight against teams that sit in a block, that’s often what will break it open and then you create more space.
“That’s probably a little bit of what happened in the first fixture as well.
“We got that first set piece (goal), they had to come out a bit more, and then we got two more goals from open play.”
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