De Silva has soccer world at his feet

It was quite possibly the goal that changed a Perth teenager’s life forever.

Daniel De Silva made an incisive run through the middle of the park to latch onto a teammate’s pass and neatly poked the ball past the oncoming Colombian goalkeeper with his first touch.

It was, to date, De Silva’s finest moment on the international stage and undoubtedly the highlight of his man-of-the-match performance in Australia’s opening game of the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

De Silva already had Everton chasing him and had attracted the eye of scouts from Manchester United and Inter Milan at a Nike All-Asia camp, but the World Cup in Turkey really opened doors.

Now, the 17-year-old is on the verge of an A-League transfer record-breaking move to Italian giants AS Roma, with only some minor details to work through this month before the deal is locked away.

The transfer, engineered by former Socceroo Vince Grella, will be worth close to $2million for De Silva’s current club, Perth Glory, and will see the young star spend another season in the A-League before moving to Italy with his family next year.

Daniel De Silva wasn’t even one year old when he first kicked a soccer ball.

According to his parents –Rodney and Tanya – the new toy was never far from their son’s feet.

As a child, he quickly outgrew the local Christian league, moving on to Kingsway Olympic, Stirling Lions and the National Training Centre.

But De Silva, who idolises Brazilian legend Pele and has grown up supporting Barcelona, says he didn’t take notice of his own potential until he was called into the Australian Under-17 squad as a 15-year-old.

Underpinning his undoubted talent is an appetite for hard work, maturity beyond his years and a deep passion for the game.

“I’ve never stopped loving it,” De Silva said.

“Some people say it’s my job to play, but I don’t really see it that way.

“I see it as fun, as going down to have a kick with the boys.

“If you stop enjoying it then you shouldn’t play.”

De Silva comes from a close-knit family, one that was wary of sending the teenager overseas when urged to do so by friends in the WA soccer community.

Their patience paid off, with De Silva attracting offers from Italy, Spain and England.

Everton were so keen that they had lawyers looking for loopholes in regulations that won’t let De Silva move to Europe until his 18th birthday in March next year.

“We’ve always known he would never just play in the State League,” said Rodney De Silva, himself an accomplished player and coach in WA.

“People used to say when he was 13 that we needed to take him to England, but I’ve seen too many heartbroken kids go over and not make it.

“We just waited until we thought the time was right and then the offers came.”

Alistair Edwards was one of many local coaches to spot Daniel’s talent at a young age and called him into the Australian Under-17 squad.

De Silva stood head and shoulders above his peers and was a regular member of the Joeys’ starting line-up despite playing in the older age bracket.

Edwards saw a technically gifted and studious player, who was confronted by heavy expectations but fazed by nothing.

“Even though he was one of the youngest players in the squad, he was always one of the better ones,” Edwards said.

“You could see it in his younger days and then when he started to do that on the international stage, you could see that he had something special.”

Edwards gave a 15-year-old De Silva his A-League debut for Perth Glory last year against a Sydney FC side led by Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero.

De Silva, who grew up supporting Glory on the terraces, was crunched in his first tackle, but bounced up and finished the match with his enthusiasm in tact and his confidence growing.

A post-game word of encouragement from Del Piero was something to cherish, and a story that will no doubt prove

popular when De Silva arrives in Italy.

“I didn’t even think to ask for his shirt, I was just caught up in the moment,” De Silva said.

At Glory, De Silva has grown under the tutelage of Australian internationals Jacob Burns and Michael Thwaite, and former Arsenal captain William Gallas.

He is far from the finished product, but will be given the best opportunity to develop further at Roma.

Edwards believes De Silva could be the creative player Australian soccer craves.

“He’s risen to every occasion and if he continues to be given the environment and the opportunities that he’s getting at the moment, he’s definitely good enough to be that player that Australia’s been crying out for,” Edwards said.

“It’s still going to take time, but he’s definitely got all the attributes to do that and we all hope that he does.”

De Silva admits he still watches replays of that goal against Colombia on his laptop.

It wasn’t the single moment that has made him as a player, but one that made the international soccer world take notice.

At this stage, it’s anyone’s guess as to how many more of those moments he will have. The sky is the limit.

“Training at Roma with the world’s best players like Totti, De Rossi and Gervinho would be amazing for my development,” De Silva said.

“The things that you could learn off players like that is frightening.”