Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat will become only the second player in Australian football history to make 500 league appearances when he leads Melbourne Victory out against Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium on Saturday (kick off 8pm).
Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat will become only the second player in Australian football history to make 500 league appearances when he leads Melbourne Victory out against Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium on Saturday (kick off 8pm).
The milestone adds to what has quickly become one of the most anticipated regular season matches in the short history of the Hyundai A-League, with Melbourne Victory currently sitting three points ahead of its fierce rival Sydney on top of the ladder.
Former Qantas Socceroo and current Central Coast Mariners Assistant Coach Alex Tobin is the only other Australian to have reached the milestone, having made 522 league appearances over a 19-year career in the old National Soccer League.
Muscat, who ironically made his league debut under current Melbourne Victory Coach Ernie Merrick at Sunshine George Cross in 1989, is one of Australia’s most decorated footballers, having captained the country at every age level.
The defensive stalwart plied his trade at Heidelberg United and South Melbourne in the NSL before embarking on a 10-year stint in Europe, where he played for Crystal Palace in the English Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Rangers and Millwall.
Muscat was part of the Rangers side that won the Scottish treble in 2002/03 and went on to lead Millwall to its first ever FA Cup Final in 2004, before returning to Australia for the inaugural Hyundai A-League season.
Muscat has played in 91 of Melbourne Victory’s 108 matches to date, scored 23 goals, captained the side to its record two Hyundai A-League Premierships and Championships and claimed three Victory Medals as the club’s best and fairest player in the process.
A special presentation will be made to Muscat at Etihad Stadium on Saturday before the 8pm kick off.
