Football Talent Liberato Cacace Moves to Belgium

Wellington-born Liberato Cacace, 20, wants to imitate childhood hero Paolo Maldini by one day donning the captain’s armband for his national team, South China Morning Post sports journalist Andrew McNicol writes.

The left wing-back, who joined Belgian Pro League outfit Sint-Truiden (STVV) from Australian A-League’s Wellington Phoenix in August, has already made three appearances for the All Whites having debuted against Taiwan in 2018.

“I’ve always wanted to captain the country. That’s one thing I really want to improve in my game: to lead and be more vocal,” Cacace told the Post.

“It’s a massive honour to represent New Zealand. Not many Kiwis are at this level so hopefully I can keep making them proud and open up a pathway for more to come through,” Cacace added, citing his former club-mate and fellow fledgling New Zealand talent Sarpreet Singh, who plays for Bayern Munich.

Original article by Andrew McNicol, South China Morning Post, December 4, 2020.