Returning Adelaide United star Craig Goodwin says he’ll be fit and firing ahead of the new Isuzu UTE A-League after finally overcoming a foot issue which has plagued him for nearly five years.
The Adelaide icon is back in the ‘City of Churches’ for what will be his fourth stint at the club, having signed a new three-year deal to return to Coopers Stadium.
No stranger to the inner workings of the Reds, Goodwin has also been appointed club captain of the side ahead of the new Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season.
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However shortly after moving back to South Australia, the 31-time CommBank Socceroos winger went under the knife in a bid to correct a foot issue that has crippled him in recent seasons, often leaving him unable to even wear shoes let alone football boots.
“It’s something I’ve had for four to five years. Essentially, it’s a neuroma between my third and fourth toe or the knuckles on my foot,” said Goodwin when speaking exclusively to aleagues.com.au.
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“I’ve managed it for a while. I’ve had cortisone on it every now and again when it’s flared up but it essentially got to a point where, like, anytime I put boots on I had burning pain, inflammation and nerve pain going up my foot all the time.
“It got to a point over the last two years and back-to-back seasons that after the March National Team Camp, I’d come back to my club and it started to flare up, and then I’d be injecting it for every single game for like the last two months, so like, 10 games.”
He continued: “So I had a bit of time in the off-season and had a cortisone (injection) in it which went really well.
“But pretty much a year, almost to the day, it started coming back again. The cortisones didn’t work so then I had to find out some way of getting rid of it.
“Putting boots on in training every day or casual shoes – I couldn’t even wear casual shoes. I’d wear Birkenstocks around everywhere and I couldn’t go barefoot because it would hurt on the bottom of my foot.
“So it was frustrating and annoying. But yeah, now I’ve had it cut out and it’s all right.”
Now fully recovered from his surgery, the 33-year-old is counting down the days until the the Reds kick off the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 campaign against rivals Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium on October 17.
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A key difference compared to Goodwin’s last stint at the Reds though is the fact there will be a new head coach in the dugout, with Brazilian Airton Andrioli chosen as the man to replace former boss and Adelaide great Carl Veart.
“It’s shaping up really well so far,” said Goodwin when asked how things are looking under his new head coach.
“Pre-season is difficult to go by early on, you know? Teams that do well in pre-season might not follow through into the season, as we’ve seen plenty of times. But I’m excited by what I see.
“So far, we’ve had a good camp in Melbourne, played against the Melbourne teams in Victory and City and did really well. A couple of signings that have come in haven’t played games yet, so it’ll be good to get them in and hopefully strengthen the squad with Anselmo (de Moraes) and Juan (Muñiz).
“But I’m excited by the coaches new ideas. You can see things starting to click a bit. It is a very young team, and there’s still bit to go, but the biggest thing for us this year is not putting a target on what we want to achieve, but on a daily basis, trying to drive a consistent winning, ruthless and relentless mentality.
“Our goal is to win; otherwise, what are we here for? Whether we have young players or not, me coming back here, my goal is to win silverware with this club. That’s why I chose to come back to Adelaide.
He continued: “Okay, I’m from Adelaide, but it means more to me to win here than anything else. So it’s about driving that winning culture and helping those players mentally get to where they need to be.
“Because if I look at previous years, even when I was involved, probably mentally every day is the thing that we’ve lacked as a whole squad to be able to take that next step. So you can sit here and say maybe it’s quality that can produce that bit of extra mentality.
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“There is some good young talent, good young players here, but it’s really that mentality focus from my side, to try and get across to the players.”
In total, the Reds have brought in six new faces to the club during the off-season, whilst also upgrading the contracts of several more talented youngsters to scholarship deals.
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However, there’s one player that Goodwin admits he can’t wait to see play in the famous red of Adelaide United, and it’s a man he knows very well following their time spent playing together at Saudi Pro League side Al-Wehda: Brazilian midfielder Anselmo.
“Obviously, the question mark surrounding Anselmo is his age, or at least that’ll be the concern people will have with him,” said Goodwin when asked what people can expect of the 36-year-old former Serie A midfielder.
“But for me, I’ve played with him a number of years, and he’s probably the best midfielder I’ve ever played with.”
He continued: “Honestly, Anselmo at his best is unbelievable. He looks after himself, he’s a good professional and he’s a great character for the change room.
“If he gets in full flight in this coming season, he’s the one to watch – for Adelaide fans and fans across the A-League.
“Honestly, I don’t think Adelaide has had a player of his style before. He’s a six-slash-eight, but countless amount of times when I’ve played with him, he’s the type of player to pick the ball up in his own half, be physically strong, roll a player and run the length of the pitch.
“He’s that Brazilian flair, skilful you know? He’s an exciting player. He’s got quality and he’s someone that, on a gameday, can really turn it on. He’s someone that can completely dictate the flow of a game and I’m excited to get the chance to play with him.”
He added: “I believe that the fans are going to be excited by him. But it’s always that case of how do they adapt, and how’s it going to go?
“I’m excited by the prospect of it, and I hope that he can deliver, and I’m sure that he will.”
