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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Oakland: Tete Yengi is a footballing version of Frankenstein\u2019s monster. And not just because he\u2019s a big, imposing lump of a bloke who is actually much quieter, thoughtful and nuanced than first impressions may suggest – but because he describes himself as a composite player, made up of the sum of his experiences in the game, good and bad.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long, winding journey for him to get to Camp Socceroo<\/a>, and it featured a bunch of pit-stops off the beaten path in pursuit of his dream.<\/p>\n Five years ago, Yengi was playing semi-professional football in South Australia, having failed to make the cut at Adelaide United in his youth. Three years ago he was on loan in Finland, searching for an opportunity at the end of the earth. Less than a year ago he was in the Scottish second division, and the prospect of a World Cup appearance at that moment seemed absurd.<\/p>\n That was until he moved to J-League club Machida Zelvia in Tokyo.<\/p>\n Everywhere he\u2019s been, he\u2019s picked up something different and added it to his game. Now, Yengi hopes, his collection is complete, and he is ready to become a well-rounded player who his national team can depend on at this World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cGrowing up, I was always thinking pretty football, maybe: I want the ball to the feet, I want to dribble, these kinds of things,\u201d he said, speaking after Australia\u2019s first training session at their \u201cbase camp\u201d in Oakland, California.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing on all these different adventures helped me learn different parts of the game: different coaches, different teammates, different styles of play. Going through difficult times, those things all shape you. Having different coaches can help shape you as well.<\/p>\n \u201c[I\u2019ve been] kind of putting that all together and building the ultimate player. I feel like I\u2019ve taken a bit from every place I\u2019ve been to, and that\u2019s helped me to be who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n So, who is he?<\/p>\n Tete is the younger brother of 27-time Socceroo Kusini Yengi<\/a>, and they share similar traits: both are tall, broad-shouldered forwards who, because of their build, are typecast as classic target men, even though deep down they probably think of themselves as wingers, or creative types. They\u2019re both quicker than they look, and much harder workers than their languid gaits might suggest.<\/p>\n That is perhaps why things weren\u2019t quite working out for Yengi at Livingston, the unfashionable Scottish club who he helped seal promotion to the top flight last season. He was allowed to leave on loan in January to Japanese club Machida Zelvia, and some Livingston fans were happy to see him go. But the move has turned out to be life-changing; his football has, all of a sudden, clicked into place.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Whatever the reason – he\u2019s still trying to figure it out – but it\u2019s as if Yengi has unlocked a new level within himself, starring up front for his new team as they reached the final of the AFC Champions League, catching Socceroos coach Tony Popovic\u2019s attention along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything can change in six months, and that\u2019s what happened with me,\u201d Yengi said.<\/p>\n \u201cI was at Livingston … it wasn\u2019t going too bad. I was still popping up here and there with some nice goals and stuff. I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s different. Different style, maybe? Different coaching. Different players around you.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I made the move to Japan. Thankfully, it\u2019s gone so well there. Maybe some players in Japan are suited better for my style of play. They make me stand out more. Maybe it\u2019s just the style of team play.\u201d<\/p>\n Though he is a first-timer with the Socceroos, having never represented Australia at junior level before being named in Popovic\u2019s World Cup squad, he is with some of his closest friends in camp: he has known Mohamed Toure<\/a> since he was 12, is in the same group chat with him and Nestory Irankunda, and described Awer Mabil as an \u201cidol\u201d of his.<\/p>\n![\"Tete](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5d163d9516d29b3632b527ca378f637e98a91dbdff11aad8ea1909a215214fea.jpeg\")
Tete Yengi celebrates an AFC Champions League win with Machida Zelvia.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Socceroos](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/85690c99d33108da9d17d9cf7fe7a5d24ae9f05c.jpeg\")
Socceroos player Tete Yengi at training at the Oakland Roots Sports Club in Alameda, California.AAPIMAGE<\/p>\n
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