Knowing a World Cup spot is up for grabs, Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres is still weighing up his playing future at Sydney FC.
Caceres, 32, went from believing his national team dream was dead to being a genuine option for Socceroos coach Tony Popovic within six months.
The classy midfielder helped Australia seal direct qualification to the 2026 tournament in their crunch clashes against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Viewing the upcoming club season as "the most important year of my career", Caceres said he hasn't made a call on whether he'll stay at the Sky Blues.
Caceres has played at the ALM heavyweights since 2019, having arrived on loan from Manchester City.
He has been linked with a move to Macarthur FC, after Sydney failed to make finals last season under coach Ufuk Talay.
Highly rated Sky Blues forward Adrian Segecic has already sealed his move after earning a three-year contract at English Championship side Portsmouth.
"I'm still weighing it up, that's the thing," Caceres said on Thursday at the Commbank sponsorship announcement.
"I've had a few sniffs in Asia and actually some countries in Europe.
"Ultimately, the league needs to be competitive enough to keep me in the frame for national team football.
"It's tempting to stay in Australia because our league gets recognised by the national team coach.
"I understand the league well, and I think it's a great option."
Should he make the cross-town switch to the Bulls, he'll be reunited with former Sky Blues teammate Luke Brattan.
It was Bulls captain Brattan's long-awaited Socceroos debut, at 34, last year that reignited Caceres's national team hopes.
"When I saw my good mate Luke Brattan get a call, that told me that age isn't the deciding factor," Caceres said.
"Not that I'm old, but there's certain perceptions that come with it.
"Before then, it's safe to say that I had almost given up on it.
"At my age, at 32, you never stop learning and improving. That fuels my energy to kick on in my career."
While his eyes are set firmly on retaining his spot for the 2026 finals, Caceres admits he's still pinching himself after their deciding 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia.
"I know other boys have been there and done it before, so maybe they feel a bit differently," Caceres said.
"For me, disbelief is the word. It takes a while to actually understand what is happening.
"You've gone from not being involved in the national team and watching them over decades, to one day being there in a crucial moment like that."
