Can this year get any better for the Sons of the West?!

It was Footscray, 2009, and simpler times for Australia when Guterres wandered the streets in his then job as UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Deep in Melbourne's multicultural heart, he was greeted warmly in the street by former countrymen who remembered his days as Portugal's prime minister.

But those Bulldogs, they put on a show. Decked out in red, white and blue, out ran a parade of migrant teenagers from a youth sport program the club was hosting to encourage healthy living.

Well, it wasn't exactly the green of Whitten Oval. The meeting with the teens was inside a somewhat stuffy office building, and there was no room for the kids to kick long torps.

But being there, watching him, you could tell Guterres was hooked on the Doggies.

Truly.

He's from the "Western Europe" bloc of the UN, and that's pretty close.

OK, maybe not.

But he certainly had kind words for Melbourne, after walking into local Footscray shops to meet with locals.

He was full of praise for the strength of a society that welcomes people from all corners of the globe.

"There is no reason for fear, there is reason for hope," he said. "This is an example that should be copied by others."

Back then, "stop the boats" wasn't the national motto, the dark mist of Islamophobia had yet to settle.

Times might have changed, but Guterres is still approaching the world with hope.

That's the main job of the UN Secretary General, a position with no real power, only the symbolism that is embodied in a single person.

"The Secretary-General is not the Commander-in-Chief of the UN," Guterres said pointedly in July in a debate with the candidates. It is countries, and especially the permanent five members of the Security Council, that hold the power.

His new job is to barrack not for one country, but the collective, an optimistic view of what the world can achieve together.

But surely in the footy, he could be a No.1 ticket-holder for a special team.

He'll need some special envoys, for sure.