Fatherhood puts Australia's frequent flyer Ryan on a higher plane
Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Arsenal - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - May 2, 2021 Arsenal's Mat Ryan during the warm up before the match Pool via REUTERS/Lindsey Parnaby
MELBOURNE :With a new baby and a new club, Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan has landed back in the Socceroos' fold with a new lease on footballing life despite racking up an exhausting log of air miles.
Spain-based Ryan was recently crowned the most frequent flyer in world football by the global players' union FIFPRO, which found he had flown 169,087 km (105,065 miles) for matches in the 2024/25 season.
Punishing travel loads are an affliction for modern footballers that FIFPRO has demanded authorities stamp out.
After spending nearly 220 hours of the year in plane cabins, Ryan would also like to see change because he and many of his fellow Socceroos would stand to benefit the most.
"It's part of the DNA of being an Australian footballer, one plying their trade in Europe," the 33-year-old told reporters on Tuesday.
"It obviously can influence and impact performances and all these types of things.
"And probably more so for the guys who are less experienced at doing so, that have got to obviously try and bring their best performance as well - (it) can be something that can inhibit them from being able to do that."
Capped 100 times for Australia, Ryan was recently spared a long trip "down under" when he was cut from Tony Popovic's squad for a pair of friendlies against New Zealand last month.
His omission came during a fallow period between leaving his French club Lens and signing a short-term deal with LaLiga side Levante.
Now installed as the Valencia club's starting keeper, Ryan was recalled to the Australia squad last week for friendlies against 2026 World Cup hosts Canada and the United States.
Days after the recall, Ryan and his partner Chloe Gelmi welcomed Preston, their first child, in a post on social media before Ryan was back at the airport boarding a plane to Canada.
The regular Australia captain will hope to be in the Socceroos' goal for Friday's game against Canada in Montreal and again for the United States friendly in Denver next week.
He said his former Australia teammate James Holland had told him that footballers often have a spike in performance once they became dads.
"If it can help take my game to another level, then by all means, I'll speak to my partner about probably having a couple more. Quick-smart, if that's going to be the case."
