Sunday morning’s match against Curaçao will finally end the long wait for an All Whites game – almost 700 days.
But time is flying for 19-year-old midfielder Matthew Garbett.
The Wellingtonian is in line for his first cap, off the back of his impressive Tokyo Olympics campaign.
"I've always wanted to be part of the All Whites growing up, since the age of 12, 13 when I started playing,” he told 1News.
“It would definitely be a massive achievement for myself and my family. Especially having not seen my family for 11 months now."
The youngster is no stranger to the national set-up.
"I know quite a few of the boys, I've grown up with a lot of them since the age of 12,” he said.
“I'm very grateful and honoured to be called up for my first All Whites tour, but it doesn't feel like the first because [of the] Olympics.”
It comes following his recent transfer to Serie A club Torino, which he admits has been a culture shock.
But the French-speaking Garbett (his mum is French) is picking up Italian quickly.
"I've trained with the first team a few times already, I've been involved a little bit.
“At the moment I'm mostly with the under 19s but hopefully in the next couple of months - hopefully by January - I'll be with the first team full-time.”
A senior debut would make him the first New Zealand man to play in Italy’s revered Serie A league.
"It'd be amazing, even to be on the bench.
“Serie A is in the top five leagues in the world, the passion they have over there is massive. The fans, the coaches, everyone over there in Italy, it's football-dominated."
For a player who’s not long out of high school, Garbett’s already racking up an impressive football CV.
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