Claude Aru: an underrated talent of Vanuatu football

In the South Pacific region, football is a highly valued sport; the countries fight hard to develop their games to achieve results to make their people proud. We see a lot of talent in the region, coming from all the islands. Vanuatu is one of those nations that have already produced top-class players for Oceania football – their base seems to continue to function very well.

Claude Aru, a 23-year-old midfielder, player of the national champions of Vanuatu, Malampa Revivors, is not an unknown talent. The player took part in his country’s first FIFA tournament at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea; the playmaker even had an assist in the remarkable match against Germany, in which Vanuatu lost 3-2 and demanded a lot of fight from the European powerhouse to end up with a narrow win.

The talented midfielder has already represented Malampa Revivors in the OFC Champions League and in this edition of the competition he helped his side qualify for the knockout phase of the regional tournament for the first time ever. Aru also helped Vanuatu to reach third place in the last edition of the OFC U23 Olympic Qualifiers, where they lost to Solomon Islands in the semi-finals. In this qualifying tournament, Vanuatu impressed with the quality of their football, even though they failed to reach the grand final.

Aru has played only one game for the senior national team – in the 10-0 win over Tuvalu in the 2017 Mini Pacific Games. The midfielder is a key factor in the success of the Malampa Revivors and played a major role in his country’s U23 national team in 2019.

Before joining the Malampa Revivors, Aru also played for the traditional Shepherds United in Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila. A player known for his passing accuracy and good ball distribution, Aru certainly has the talent to get a contract abroad and represent his country at the highest level. The still 23-year-old midfielder is a modern player – he can play as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder or even as an attacking midfielder – his good line-up, vision of the game and passing allows him to create many scoring opportunities; definitely a player who can defend, pass and attack.

Despite all his successes in the local and national leagues and more recently in the OFC Champions League and for Vanuatu’s U23 side, Aru is not constantly called-up for the national team and does not appear to be a key player for Vanuatu’s football ambitions at the moment. Certainly, Aru is a player who is willing to play an important role, play at the highest level for his country and achieve even greater success in his career – a real talent that has what it takes to break through.