It’s been a whirlwind few days for Andrew Redmayne – from little-known A-League stalwart to national hero.
The 33-year-old has tried to palm off that tag, but regardless of his own humility, his name is now etched in sporting folklore in Australia.
He even has a new nickname – the ‘Grey Wiggle’ – and that’s one moniker he’s been happy to accept.
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His goal line dancing antics captivated the world, after also successfully working for him in the 2019 A-League grand final, when he saved two penalties against Perth Glory for Sydney FC.
Redmayne explains ‘grey wiggle’ antics
“The Grey Wiggle, yeah. That’s how it’s kind of been dubbed,” Redmayne told Nine’s Today.
“It’s something we came up with at Sydney FC. If you can make a fool of yourself to try and distract the opposition, I’m more than happy to be the butt of the joke if this is the end result.”
After Peru’s Luis Advincula hit the post with Peru’s third kick, scores were level at 4-4 from five shots apiece.
Awer Mabil converted for Australia, before Redmayne danced across and dived to his right to save Alex Valera’s effort, and send Australia through.
Australia qualifies for World Cup after qualifying thriller
Redmayne said he watched “any of the penalties” that any of the Peruvian players had taken, and that it was set in stone that he’d dive to his right to save Valera’s kick.
There was a lot more than just a spot in Qatar at stake, which Redmayne acknowledged – the future of the sport is tied to the interest held by the Australian public – and reaching World Cups does more to increase interest than anything else.
“The Australian game here, we really needed another qualification,” he said.
“It’s a good shot in the arm for the game back home and I’m more than happy for our development and the prospect of investment that comes with it.”
It was a precarious qualifying campaign, and one that many Socceroos fans thought was over after a meek defeat to Japan in March. Some doubted Australia’s ability to get past the UAE, let alone Peru.
“We copped so much flak – everyone kind of wrote us off – but I think that’s the beauty of Graham Arnold,” Redmayne said.
“He takes the burden on himself and allows the players to be free and in their environment.
“We knew as a cohort, I think we were the only ones that really believed we could pull this off.”
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