This week alone he's been hailed as "lethal", "magical" and a "special talent" - where Garang Kuol is concerned, it's impossible to avoid the hype.
And yet the Newcastle United-bound teenager insists he pays no attention to it. For the 18-year-old, the only focus, he says, is on the pitch and the training field.
It's been a remarkable rise for Kuol. Despite his only start in professional football coming in an Australian Cup tie, Kuol's dazzling cameo displays for the Central Coast Mariners earned him a January move to Newcastle and a place in Australia's World Cup squad. He'll be the second youngest player in Qatar.
That, though, is "just another label", he says, the same way he assesses all the hype surrounding his emergence.
READ MORE: Nick Pope interview from Qatar
“I don’t really pay attention to what’s said around me and stuff," he says.
"I’m mainly just focused on what I do on the field, at training and games. If I’m not playing well, I’m not gonna look at what’s going on online to gee me up.
"What's on the field is what makes me happy and gives me the motivation to keep pushing forward."
Fearless Kuol is not daunted by the World Cup.
“I wouldn’t say intimidation – I find it more exciting to see what you can do against players of that calibre,” he said.
"It’s a very exciting experience for me. Obviously, I’ve watching the Socceroos for a long time. The World Cup’s the biggest stage. I want to prove myself. I’ve just got to go into it with the right mindset. It’s all about having confidence in yourself and being ruthless, having that mindset to want to create something and make an impact.”
Kuol isn't the only footballing talent in his family. One older brother Alou plays for VfB Stuttgart, while two others are also young professionals starting out.
Kuol, who is expected to initially be loaned out by Newcastle when he arrives in January, said: “It’s a journey we’ve all been as a family.
“Three years back, my mum was driving me to Melbourne every two weeks, two hours there, two hours back. It’s a journey that involves me and everyone part of it. They’re very happy for me obviously. They just told me to do my best and make them proud.
“Before I went to the Central Coast Mariners I was playing NPL2 in Victoria, so training twice a week, which was a killer for me – I want to be training every day.
"As soon as I got to the Mariners I was training every day, which is what I wanted to do all my life. That’s really where my journey really started in terms of being a proper footballer. The impact it’s had on me has been massive. I’m just thankful for those of at the Mariners who brought me in.”
Australia start their World Cup campaign against defending champions France next Tuesday, before games against Tunisia and Denmark.
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