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John Aloisi knew he was the right man for the moment when it came to his famous winning penalty in Australia's 2005 World Cup playoff.

When the Socceroos were seeking volunteers to take penalties in their historic World Cup qualifying playoff against Uruguay in 2005, there was little doubt John Aloisi would be on the list.

What was unclear was what number penalty Aloisi would take as Australia aimed to end more than three decades of pain by reaching the game's greatest spectacle.

"Graham Arnold was asking who wants to take a penalty and I was one of the first ones to put up my hand," Aloisi told AAP.

"He said 'OK, you go first' and I said 'nah, I'd rather go No.5'."

A few minutes later, Aloisi - who had been telling anyone who'd listen for months he would score the goal to take Australia to the World Cup - was sprinting away, waving his gold shirt over his head as more than 80,000 fans in Sydney's Olympic Stadium and millions at home began celebrating.

That celebration has become an iconic image in a defining moment for football in Australia.

Fox Sports recently replayed the full 120 minutes and shootout of that November 2005 Sydney spectacle, and social media lit up with fans reliving every moment.

Aloisi's journey to that penalty began years before however - in the heartache of 1997's play-off exit at the MCG against Iran.

The striker was an unused substitute in both legs as Iran came from 2-0 down in the second leg to qualify on away goals with a 2-2 draw in Melbourne.

Four years later - two-time World Cup winners Uruguay inflicted more agony as a 3-0 win in Montevideo ended another Socceroos qualification bid.

Aloisi did get on the field that time but only for the last 10 minutes of the second leg with the Uruguayans 2-0 up.

Having suffered so much torment, Aloisi admits he contemplated quitting the national team rather than committing to another qualifying campaign.

But he ploughed on and said the Socceroos were happy to once again be drawn against Uruguay in a two-legged playoff for a spot at Germany 2006.

Not for revenge but because they knew they could match the South Americans.

For many of Australia's greatest footballers - captain Mark Viduka, defenders Tony Vidmar and Tony Popovic and Aloisi - the Uruguay games in 2005 were their final shot at a World Cup.

Under the leadership of Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, the Socceroos made sure they learned the lessons from their defeat four years earlier.

"We were comfortable to play there (in Uruguay) first... The result itself was good one, not a great one." Aloisi said.

Uruguay arrived in Australia with a 1-0 lead but Aloisi said the vibe was different this time.

Just as in 1997, expectations were high but there was also a belief within the Socceroos squad that this time things were going to go their way.

"I remember thinking before the Iran game that everyone was thinking that this was it and we were going to qualify," Aloisi said.

"It was very similar when we came back from Uruguay to Sydney.

"We were probably a little bit more focused knowing it wasn't going to be easy but confident we could get the result.

"Sort of the same feeling and buzz that we'd had eight years previously."

Mark Bresciano's 35th-minute goal levelled the tie.

Shortly into extra-time, Aloisi got the nod to go on.

He sensed his moment had arrived.

"I was believing from the previous heartache that we'd had, and that I'd had personally, that I was going to be the one that was going to score the goal that could take us to the World Cup," Aloisi said.

"I'd been saying it for a long, long period to my family... I did have that belief."

The goal didn't come but the shootout did.

Aloisi admitted seeing Vidmar - so widely criticised for his performance against the Uruguayans four years earlier - among the penalty takers was a shock.

The veteran defender was one of three Australians to hit the target, after Harry Kewell and Lucas Neill.

Star striker Viduka missed but Mark Schwarzer's two saves, his second to deny Marcelo Zalayeta gave Aloisi his moment.

"When I was a 14-year-old I missed a penalty in a shootout and we ended up getting knocked out," he said.

"I remember how bad I felt and my legs felt like jelly when I was walking from the halfway line to the penalty spot so I never wanted to have that feeling again.

"I did say to myself when I was going through my career that I would be prepared whenever I had to take a penalty."

Aloisi had practised at the same end of Stadium Australia the day before - flawlessly.

The plan was simple, repeat exactly what he did in training.

"When I looked up I could see it just touch the net but for half a second there wasn't any noise so I was a little bit worried," he said.

"Then I started running.

"If you see a photo when I first start running it's a little bit like a shock feel because I wasn't sure but then half a second later I just heard the noise and the net do even more and I knew it was in.

"Then that was it. I just ran off.

"I knew where I was running. I was running to where my family were sitting but the shirt wasn't planned."

A few months later, Aloisi would be in Germany - the same country where the Socceroos had made their only previous World Cup finals appearance in 1974.

Australia would make more history in 2006 with their first goals and win at a World Cup - with Tim Cahill's double in the famous come-from-behind 3-1 result over Japan in their group stage opener in Kaiserslautern.

The scorer of the third goal that day?

Penalty shootout hero - John Aloisi.