Adrian Segecic, My Football Journey: ‘I love watching Messi… a lot of people think I play like him’
Australia Men's World Cup Premier League
Nancy Froston Nancy Frostick
Is there a new Messi in Australia? Adrian Segecic is making his way with Sydney FC and Australia under-20s. This is his journey
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The Athletic
My Football Journey: The Road to 2026 is a series following some of the most exciting young footballers in the world during a key moment in their careers.

It will follow the highs, the setbacks and the hard work they and their clubs are putting in, and show how different their journeys are as they dream of making it to the 2026 World Cup.

Adrian Segecic drops a shoulder, jinks between two defenders and drives to the byline to try to get a shot off.

The match is Sydney FC against Macarthur in the A-League, Australia’s top division.

Next, Segecic uses his low centre of gravity to carve a gap on the left and dart away.

After those displays of skill, Sydney’s 18-year-old forward does something that needs almost no technical skill at all: a cross arrives in the box and he scores a tap in at the back post. It isn’t a thing of beauty but it is his first league goal in senior football.

The Australia Under-20 international is making inroads in senior football.

In fact, there have been comparisons with Lionel Messi, partly due to Segecic’s height — he is 5ft 5in (1.69m) tall — but also due to the way he moves and carries the ball, whether on the wings or up the middle.

“I can play in a lot of positions,” he says. “I’ve always been rotating between left wing, right wing and central attacking midfield. I’ve always been that little explosive, skilful player, and I’ve grown a lot in the past few years and become a lot more physical and I’ve got that bit of mongrel. So I’m just that explosive dribbler.”

His Sydney debut in 2021 was followed by a new contract in May this year, plus regular inclusion in senior match-day squads. Expectations are rising, not just among observers, but also from Segecic himself.

“I always expect a lot from myself,” he tells The Athletic. “Growing up, I have always been one of the better players on my team, so I’ve always had that expectation to be the best, score the most.

“And I’m always hard on myself if I mess up a little pass or something. We’ve got a lot of big tournaments coming up, like next year’s Under-20 World Cup, and by the next (senior) World Cup in 2026, I’ll have a lot more experience.

“By then, I’d love to be playing overseas, maybe in the UK — I’ve got my work permits already. Hopefully, I’ll be playing in the Premier League and getting ready for that World Cup. That would be my biggest dream by then.”

Segecic has already made history in his short career by becoming the first player to progress through every age group in Sydney’s academy and make a senior appearance for the club, after first being spotted when he was at a football camp during the school holidays aged 11.

“It was a holiday camp that I didn’t even want to go to but my dad made me,” he says. “I went for the first three days, did really well and then got the MVP of the whole tournament. Three days later, I got a letter asking if I’d like to sign for Sydney. My dad forced me to go and I actually loved it.”

His father has been a major influence on his career and has rarely missed a match, with Segecic senior often offering feedback and analysis at their home in Sydney.

“My dad is straight up, he won’t lie to me,” says Segecic. “I know myself anyway (if I’ve not played well), but he’ll call me in the lounge and we’ll watch it and he’ll ask why I did this or that. He always sits there and tries to help and then I’m quiet and will sit in my room to relax because you’ve always got another game in five or six days.

“You can’t have two bad games otherwise you’re not in the squad, so you’ve got to prove yourself over those five or six days, and back yourself to avoid making the same mistakes. My parents love it. I don’t think my dad has missed one match in my whole life. Everywhere I go, if it’s the national team, he’s flying over to watch it.

“He has not missed one game, even if it’s watching on TV, since under-sevens. My mum loves it too and she comes to all my games. My dad is a big football fan since growing up, he grew up in the same house as Jason Culina who played for the Socceroos, in the house opposite where we live now. My grandma lives there now and they were best mates when they were younger. My dad played football but never got to the higher leagues.”

Segecic, however, has made his way up through Australia’s under-15s and under-17s sides, and now has a place in Trevor Morgan’s under-20s squad. In club football, he has also been getting regular first-team minutes under his belt.

Sydney have three wins from eight games and were eighth in the table. While the A-League was paused for the World Cup, Segecic took the opportunity to watch his favourite player, Messi, who was an inspiration as another left-footed forward looking to make the most of his physique.

“I was always a big fan of the combination of Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho enjoying football and having the flair, and Messi being the player he is and taking everyone on and finishing everything,” says Segecic.

“I love the mix between them, especially Ronaldinho just loving football and looking like he’s having fun, because that’s when I’m at my best, when I’m enjoying my football and I think that’s true for most players.

“I love watching Messi and have learned so much by watching him and seeing what he does. A lot of people think I play like him — he’s pretty much the same height as me, same weight and everything, so I’ve learned a lot with what he has done with my body stature, how he gets around and everything.”

The focus for Segecic now turns to the remainder of the domestic season and the path to the next World Cup, with his first A-League goal in October providing another landmark moment in his rise.

“The higher you go up, it gets bigger every time when you score goals on those higher stages,” he says. “It’s just about getting goals and assists at senior level, that’s what highlights any player and gets their confidence and game time.

“Obviously, at a young age, playing men’s football means you’re going to learn a lot. Confidence is the biggest thing with the way I play, and getting that playing time, because the more I play the easier it gets.”

(Top photos: Getty Images; Eamonn Dalton)