It’s the priceless piece of Australian sporting memorabilia once “lost” overseas before being retrieved and stuffed in a cupboard in a suburban Melbourne home. The jersey John Aloisi wore when he scored the penalty that sent the Socceroos to their first World Cup in 32 years – whirling it around his head like a madman as he sprinted towards a frenzied crowd at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium 20 years ago – left the country in Uruguay striker Richard Morales’ luggage.
Aloisi and Morales were teammates at Spanish club Osasuna and the Australian offered up his shirt in consolation at full-time before later realising its sentimental value and significance. He then had to work out how to get it back.
Socceroos legend John Aloisi’s priceless jersey went missing for years after his iconic penalty against Uruguay in 2005 booked Australia’s ticket to the World Cup. Pic: Getty
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of that magic moment in Australian sport – November 16, 2005 – Aloisi told Yahoo Sport Australia how it all unfolded. “When you’re going through that moment, it’s just the adrenaline’s pumping and you’re celebrating like you’ve never celebrated,” he said.
“It was only after the event I realised properly what that jersey meant. At the time it was more about comforting an ex-teammate and a really good guy. To see how upset he was, I just wanted to go over and give him a hug.
“But luckily we had two jerseys. One from the first half and one from the second half. I later caught up with him (Morales) in Spain and got that one back and gave him the other one.”
Not that the special garment is hanging on Aloisi’s wall or in a sporting museum, as you might expect. He said: “It’s not framed. It’s in the cupboard somewhere because I’ve moved around so much and never really had them framed and put them up on a wall. Maybe when I settle down one day, I’ll put them up.”
John Aloisi’s famous penalty for the Socceroos against Uruguay in 2005 saw Australia qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 32 years. Pic: Getty
John Aloisi’s penalty for Socceroos is iconic in Australia
ESPN rated Aloisi’s goal as the second biggest moment in Australian sport this century, placing it just behind Cathy Freeman’s gold medal run at the 2000 Olympics. Fifth in the penalty shoot-out, the striker’s goal sent the Socceroos to their first World Cup since 1974, ending 32 years of pain and misery.
The goal has been replayed tens of thousands of times and Aloisi is reminded about it almost daily – not that he’s complaining. He said: “People still talk about it and remember it as if it was yesterday. They want to tell me where they were when it happened.
“If I’m meeting someone for the first time, that’s the first thing they bring up. It’s nearly every day. To be part of something that people remember so fondly is very special.”
Has he ever allowed himself to think how life may have been different had he missed the spot kick? “I probably wouldn’t have been able to live back in Australia,” he joked.
“It’s not something that I thought about back then and it’s not something that I’ve really thought about since. If you do think that way, you wouldn’t even step up to take a pen.
“It was great to be able to make so many people happy and, just as good, we’ve been qualifying ever since.” The Socceroos will be in action over the next few days when they play Venezuela and Colombo in friendlies as part of the build-up to the 2026 World Cup.