Seeing double

The Japanese and Venezuelan soccer teams will be seeing double when Perth twins take to the pitch for a World Cup warm-up tournament.

Ashdale Secondary College twin brothers Max and Ruben Argent will play for New Zealand in three warm-up matches this month in Japan ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia.

They will play the Niigata regional team, and the national Japanese and Venezuelan teams.

The Year 10 students were born in Palmerston North in New Zealand and moved to Perth when they were five.

Max and Ruben, who are also involved with Perth Glory, are part of Ashdale Secondary College’s soccer academy which fosters their passion, commitment, and skill in the sport.

Speaking to PerthNow, Max said it was great to represent New Zealand and play with his brother.

“Whenever we get on the pitch, we work hard for each other all the time,” Max said.

“It’s good to have someone by your side to be able to push you all the time. For us to be able to do the journey together has been unreal.

“We wouldn’t have done any of this without our parents’ help. Their support and the amount of sacrifices they had to make just so we could represent NZ — we are both very grateful to them.”

Max said he was looking forward to the games.

“Playing for Glory and then NZ — there’s like a massive difference, especially the speed of the game,” Max said.

“The boys are a lot bigger and stronger so you’ve got to try and compete with them. At that level they are all really fast and know how to play the game well.”

In future, the twins have goals to play professionally in Europe while continuing to represent New Zealand.