Aamir Abdallah was playing in Australia's second-tier of soccer in November.
A few weeks later, he was scoring a country-defining goal in Africa's biggest competition.
"Being in the round of 16 and then scoring (Sudan's) first goal since the 1970s beyond the group stages was a massive thing," he told AAP.
"I've seen a lot of videos of fans screaming and shouting, some of them in tears and stuff.
"That wasn't a winning goal. It was just to put us in the lead for about 30 minutes."
Abdallah netted the stunning goal when he picked up the ball inside the box and curled it into the top left corner against the star-studded Senegal in AFCON's Round of 16.
His side went on to lose 3-1, but despite the result it was a historic run for Sudan, who made the playoffs and claimed their first competition win since 2012.
Just a few weeks before jetting off to Morocco, Abdallah was playing for Australian Championship side Avondale FC.
"The level of the leagues that we've got in Australia and the NPL has risen quite a lot and it is rivalling teams in the A-League," Abdallah said.
"The only thing that's not professional about it is that we train two to three times a week. I had to do my own things on the side to be fully prepared."
Abdallah moved from Sudan to Melbourne in 2006, and the Australian has since had stints with NPL sides Green Gully, Hume City, Heidelberg and briefly A-League club Central Coast Mariners.
Despite playing in Australia's second-tier for much of his career, the 26-year-old has attracted Sudan's selectors' eyes.
"The national team originally reached out to me when I was playing in Estonia (in 2021), and at that point, I didn't think I was ready. I just wanted to get a lot of minutes under my belt at a senior professional level," Abdallah said.
"They got in touch with me again during the season I had with Hume City when I was doing well, but because that season was going so well, I didn't want to leave midway through it."
When asked if he would ever push for a Socceroos jersey, the attacker rejected the idea.
"I do appreciate everything that Australia has given me, but I've represented my country, felt the love from them, and been able to give them a little bit of hope and joy during the struggles they're facing," Abdallah said.
"I don't think I can represent anyone but them."
Despite his career-defining AFCON showing, Abdallah came close to not making the Sudan squad since his paperwork wasn't approved until a month before the competition began.
"I had to travel to Sudan two months ago and did the process within a week," Abdallah said.
"I really wanted to play in the Arab Cup (in December) with the opportunities that all arise from that, but I (didn't)."
