Henry Fa’arodo Junior has been appointed as the team captain for the national men’s football squad for the OCF Nations Cup competition.
Fa’arodo is not new to this task as he was mostly the first choice for the role in the previous squads.
Fa’arodo has a wealth of experience tucked under his belt.
He started off with Nelson College from 2000 to 2001, playing for the school’s 1st XI football team as well as local club side Nelson Suburbs.
He is one of few Solomon Islanders who have played in Australian top-flight football for Perth Glory in the first A-League season and for the Melbourne Knights in the old NSL.
He joined Victorian Premier League side Altona Magic after a stint in New Zealand.
In May 2010, he won the Oceania Champions League with Hekari United.
In January 2012, Fa’arodo linked up with Team Wellington in the ASB Premiership.
FC Nelson appointed Henry Fa’arodo as their junior technical advisor for the 2012 winter season and also played for the first team helping them to win the league.
He has frequently represented the Solomon Islands at international level, making his debut at the 2002 OFC Nations Cup against Tahiti.
Henry was chosen as a starter on the Oceania All Stars team that faced the LA Galaxy on 6 December 2008 in New Zealand.
He played in 16 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and is going into his 17 appearance in this competition.
With all this experience, the Solomon Islands national team has full confidence of making a change in this Nations Cup.
Prior to the squad’s departure for Australia, head coach, Moses Toata revealed he has confidence in his team with the support of team captain Henry Fa’arodo Junior.
He said with a player with high caliber as Fa’arodo the team is can make anything happen.
By CARLOS ARUAFU
