Kevin Muscat to look for new opportunity after calling time on Victory

An emotional Kevin Muscat has called time on his 14-year relationship with Melbourne Victory.

Kevin Muscat and his son James at AAMI Park yesterday. Picture: Michael Klein

It wasn’t any one moment but rather the intuition of someone who has spent a lifetime in football that Kevin Muscat says led to his decision to end his hugely successful 14-year relationship with Melbourne Victory.

A strong-willed, no-nonsense character with a powerful aura and whose steely-eyed stare was usually enough to send shudders through most people, we saw the very human side to Muscat when he bade a teary farewell yesterday in a 30-minute press conference.

Though he still had a year to go on his contract, the 45-year-old made it clear it was time to move on — a decision entirely of his own making — as tears flowed, causing him to have several long pauses as he wiped his eyes and tried valiantly to regather his composure.

“Wednesday night (the Asian Champions League game against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at AAMI Park) will be my last game and after 14 years I certainly look forward to it like any of the previous games,” Muscat said.

“I’d like to look upon this as a celebration (of) what we have built together, what we achieved together, 14 strong years together and the wonderful success we earned together. My decision was only finalised in the last few days. Why? Maybe it is intuition, the feeling that it is the right one for a number of reasons. But I can’t go in-depth as much as I would like.”

Asked what the club meant to him, Muscat smiled and replied: “What, you haven’t seen enough tears from me yet? You don’t get to spend this long in one environment and not create friendships at every level from the office staff, the players, team, management all the way to board level.

“Of course, it means a hell of a lot to me. I have spent almost a quarter of my life here as a player and coach. When I was playing I didn’t absorb a lot of things about the club. I wouldn’t say I was selfish but I was focused as a player.

“As coach I got to appreciate what success means … To sit here and say in my small way I have helped contribute to all that success makes me feel privileged, honoured and proud to be part of this family.”

The Kevin Muscat career file

Victory chairman Anthony di Pietro paid homage to Muscat, declaring him “a legend of the club” and that his “incredible success as a player and coach will go down as one of the most influential figures in the club’s history”. He said the club has started the process of finding a replacement. Names including former Italian international Walter Zenga and former Adelaide United boss Marco Kurz have already been bandied about.

Former Socceroo Muscat said he has no plans at the moment and just wants to clear his head.

“I will go on a holiday, refresh and think about things … think what I want to do next,” he said.

As for the standout moments as a coach, Muscat said it was “difficult to pinpoint one” but suggested his first title in charge was special.

“All trophies are sweet and if you isolate one moment, we have scored the most goals in the A-League’s history giving joy to our fans in wanting to play a certain brand of attacking and entertaining football,” he said.

Signing with Victory for the inaugural A-League season in 2005 after a 10-year career in the UK, Muscat quickly became one of the faces of the competition, going on to twice captain Victory to the Premiers Plate-Championship double.

It was inevitable he would turn to coaching and, after a stint as Ange Postecoglou’s assistant at Victory, he was handed the job in his own right in October 2013.

It didn’t take him long to bring success to the club, winning the double in the 2014-15 season before winning the FFA Cup in 2015 and another title last season.