Cooper, 16, played full games in each of Australia’s three group fixtures against Ivory Coast, Brazil and Denmark and featured for all but the last 10 minutes of their loss to Uzbekistan in the round of 16.
But he is by no means the first player with ties to the Oceania region to have made an impact on the world stage for a country outside of the Pacific.
oceaniafootball.com takes a look at some other stars who have roots in the Pacific but have carved out careers for themselves in other parts of the world, without ever having lined up for the senior team of the OFC country they are linked to.
Tim Cahill
Attacking midfielder Cahill is one of the stars of the English Premier League and has earned over 50 caps for Australia, scoring 23 goals at a remarkable ratio of nearly one every two games. But the 31-year-old may never have worn the green-and-gold jersey if he had pursued a career with Samoa, the country he made his international debut for. Having represented the OFC nation as a fresh-faced 15-year-old at U-17 level, he was not eligible to play for Australia under the FIFA guidelines then in place. But FIFA changed its eligibility rules in 2004, allowing players capped at junior levels to switch international allegiance, meaning the Everton star was lost to the Samoan cause forever. His brother Chris, also a footballer at local league level in Australia, is still available for Samoa though and has made several appearances for the national team.
Christian Karembeu
The most famous of OFC’s exports, FIFA World Cup winner Karembeu was born on the New Caledonian island of Lifou but left at a young age to pursue a career in France as a professional footballer. The defensive midfielder enjoyed a five-year spell at Nantes before moving on to Italy’s Sampdoria and Spanish giants Real Madrid. He also played for Middlesbrough, Olympiacos and Servette before signing off at Bastia in 2005. He won over 50 caps for France and was part of the now-legendary squad that won both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000. Despite never having played for the country of his birth, Karembeu, now 40, remains staunchly proud of his Pacific roots and acts as a FIFA ambassador for Oceania.
Antoine Kombouaré
Former France international Kombouare is now manager of French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain but it all began 47 years ago when he was born in the New Caledonian capital of Noumea. He started his playing career as a defender at Nantes and made nearly 180 appearances for the club. He then became a stalwart of Paris Saint-Germain, reaching the century mark for the Parisians over five years, and ended his career in Scotland with Aberdeen. During his time in France, his habit of netting tie-deciding headers earned him the nickname of “Casque d’Or” which translates as “Golden Helmet”. He has also managed Strasbourg and Valenciennes and is well liked by PSG fans for his attacking brand of football.
Adrian Mariappa
Defender Mariappa came through the youth ranks at English Championship club Watford and has made over 170 appearances for the club, finding the net three times. The 24-year-old hails from London but has strong ties to the Pacific as his father and grandparents were born in Fiji. He featured in Watford’s most recent season in the Premier League in 2006-07 and was handed the captaincy during parts of 2009-10. He was included in an extended Fiji national training squad for the Pacific Games but did not travel down under to take up his place and it is unclear whether he will ever represent the nation.
Frédéric Piquonne
Like Karembeu, West Ham United striker Piquonne was born in New Caledonia but has never played for the national team, declaring his allegiance instead to France. The 32-year-old was born in Noumea but first appeared internationally for Martinique, a French overseas territory in the Carribean Sea. But, as Martinique is not a member of FIFA, he was still eligible to play for France and made his debut against Austria in 2007. He has not made any further appearances but did line up in the same year for France B against Slovakia. Piquonne’s clubs in France have included the likes of Monaco and Lyon, and he had a successful loan spell in England at Portsmouth in 2009 before joining West Ham, with whom he was relegated from the Premier League last season.