How Brisbane Roar legend Jack Hingert became Sri Lanka's newest goalscorer

With almost 50 FIFA rankings separating the two sides, Sri Lanka's 1-0 defeat of Yemen was world football's biggest upset of the November international break.

And at the heart of it all was Brisbane Roar stalwart Jack Hingert.

In an essentially empty Al Khor stadium in north-eastern Qatar, a long throw into the box was flicked onto a stooping Hingert, who nodded home to win the day.

The 89th-minute goal was his first for Sri Lanka and the so-far crowning moment of the 34-year-old's fledgling international career.

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It was only a friendly, but you could see what it meant to the Golden Army, as the men's national team is known.

Hingert barely had time to wheel away in celebration before he was engulfed by an ecstatic cloud of teammates, bench-warmers and coaching staff alike.

For much of its history, the world's 200th ranked national team (out of 210) has been little more than a footballing footnote, having never even come close to qualifying for a major international tournament.

And in recent years, political instability in the country, a FIFA ban, and the COVID pandemic have stymied any potential development.

But now, Hingert is a key figure in the rebirth of Sri Lankan football.

It's a role he never anticipated being cast in, but one that means more than any he has played on a football field before.

"You're not just representing a city, a town, a state — you're representing the people of a whole country, it's a different kind of responsibility," Hingert told ABC Sport.

"You're representing your family."

Sri Lankan family ties

Hingert isn't sure how Football Federation Sri Lanka (FFSL) got wind of his heritage.

Born in London, he moved to Melbourne as a teenager and has gone on to play almost the entirety of his professional career in Queensland.

So, any clues to his international eligibility were seemingly well hidden.

Hingert is Brisbane Roar's second-most-capped player. (Getty Images: Albert Perez)

But in 2020, an approach was made by then Sri Lanka manager Amir Alagic.

Hingert's connection to Sri Lanka is through his father, who was born in the country and is of Burgher descent.

Sri Lankan Burghers are a small ethnic group of mixed Dutch, Portuguese and Sri Lankan ancestry, many of whom now live in diaspora communities across the world.

Hingert's father emigrated in the 60s, but his, and his son's, connection to the country has stayed strong.

Much of their family remains in Sri Lanka, some of whom still own a restaurant on the beach in Colombo.

But a considerable amount also immigrated to London, and then Melbourne, at similar times to Hingert's immediate family.

"Every family party, it was all Sri Lankan, and because we've got such a big Sri Lankan family there [in Melbourne], there was a family party nearly every weekend," Hingert said.

"It's been a huge part of my life from day one."

Upon taking over as national team boss in 2020, Alagic set out to identify players with Sri Lankan heritage competing abroad, hoping to bolster the country's largely semi-professional talent pool.

Since then, Hingert is one of at least 10 players from the diaspora to have become a part of the Sri Lankan football furniture.

Also among them is Australian-born winger Oliver Kelaart, who now plies his trade in the Icelandic third tier, and perhaps the highest profile is German third division player Claudio Kammerknecht.

Kelaart is a former Western Sydney Wanderers youth product, while Hingert is playing his 14th season with Brisbane Roar. (Getty Images: Pakawich Damrongkiattisak)

ABC Sport made numerous attempts to contact FFSL for information on their scouting process, but information on how foreign-based players of Sri Lankan heritage are identified was not forthcoming.

Foreign-born players have always played a significant role in national teams around the world.

A study looking at the 10,137 players to compete at a men's World Cup between 1930 and 2018 found that just under 10 per cent of them represented a country other than the one they were born in.

And at the 2022 edition of the tournament, in no small thanks to a Qatari team that featured a glut of naturalised nationals, that percentage was more than 16.

Embracing identity and embarking on a mission

An individual's sense of national belonging, their connection to culture and the coat of arms emblazoned on their passport are often fuzzy, sometimes contradictory and almost always deeply personal matters.

But for elite sportspeople, these otherwise private struggles are regularly played out to a national, if not international, audience.

After the Paris 2024 Olympics, cyclist and three-time Olympic medallist Matthew Richardson drew considerable ire from the Australian public when he declared he would be switching allegiances from the green and gold to Great Britain, the country of his birth.

And in recent years, the Scottish-born and raised trio of Harry Souttar, Jason Cummings and Martin Boyle have all become familiar faces to Socceroos fans.

While Hingert's declaration for Sri Lanka has been met with only positivity, he sympathises with athletes who haven't been as lucky, citing the occasional "negativity" he sees aimed at the Socceroos's Scottish born trio.

"This is who they are … their family, their heritage, this is where they're from," Hingert said.

"What do you want them to do?"

Having debuted in 2019, the Scottish-born Souttar has gone on to become a key player for the Socceroos. (Getty Images: Mike Owen)

Hingert didn't have to think long about his response to Alagic's initial approach.

"As soon as they mentioned it to me, I was keen to be involved," he said.

"It was exciting, maybe having that chance to reconnect with the family and my heritage."

He was also enticed by FFSL's mission to raise the nation's footballing reputation.

"Sri Lankan football had been looked down upon for such a long time … they were always kicked down and brushed aside and not taken seriously," Hingert said.

"It's kind of that underdog story, where no-one gives you the time of day.

"And now it felt like there was a real chance to be a part of history and come together — create a team, create something special and actually help Sri Lanka get the recognition that it deserves."

But after that initial contact, things went quiet.

Meeting the team in Qatar

It wasn't until after the worst of the COVID pandemic that Hingert could finally link up with the Sri Lankan squad.

In September 2022, two years after the initial approach, he was called up to a training camp at the Aspire Academy in Qatar.

The Aspire Academy calls itself an "elite sports institute, dedicated to developing young athletes to their full potential" and has hosted some of football's most famous teams.

Thanks to a partnership with the Qatari FA, it has become a home away from home for the Golden Army.

The Aspire Academy also acted as the Socceroos base during the 2022 World Cup. (Getty Images: VI Images)

Hingert calls it a "football theme park".

"It was the best facilities I've ever seen, in my whole career, ridiculous," Hingert said.

"They've got everything there, indoor facilities, outdoor facilities.

"The pitches are like pristine condition, the gyms, the hotel we stayed at on the base … it's honestly crazy."

And there to welcome the team to Qatar was Tim Cahill, who works closely with the Qatari FA and since 2021 has been the Aspire Academy's chief sports officer.

"Tim Cahill was there training most days, and in the hotel with us, hanging out with us," Hingert said.

"So that was pretty cool."

A surreal debut

Hingert says the 2022 camp only reaffirmed his desire to represent the country.

But in early 2023, only a matter of months after the camp in Qatar, FIFA suspended FFSL due to government interference.

The ban was lifted later in the year, but Hingert had to wait until March 2024 to make his international debut.

When he finally did get to walk out for his first game at the Race Course Stadium in Colombo, it was with a sense of pride like he had never felt on a football field before.

Hingert has enjoyed connecting with his heritage through football. (Getty Images: Pakawich Damrongkiattisak)

"The first time I actually walked out with the Sri Lankan jersey on and the national anthem, it was emotional for me," Hingert said.

"My parents flew over for the game, my family that still live in Colombo came to the game.

"Both my grandparents on my dad's side are passed away now, but I remember just standing there in the national anthem, thinking about them and how proud and excited they would have been if they were there or if they're still looking down on me.

"It was one of those surreal moments."

Asian Cup qualification on the horizon

2024 was a year of success for the Golden Army.

In addition to the recent friendly victory over Yemen, the side ended the year still in the hunt for 2027 Asian Cup qualification, courtesy of a penalty shootout victory over Cambodia in September.

It's the furthest Sri Lanka has ever progressed towards Asia's premier football tournament.

"Honestly, most of the boys were in tears. There was so much passion, and it was something that I was just so proud to be a part of," Hingert said.

While it is still a long road to the tournament in 2027, Hingert says the team's injection of diaspora stars has already proved to be a positive influence on Sri Lankan football.

"It's showed that bringing us types of players in and all the work that we've done together is actually getting us in the right direction, and it's been worth it," he said.

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