After setbacks and sacrifice, Victory defender Kayne Razmovski had a weekend to treasure.
On the occasion of Western Sydney Wanderers visiting AAMI Park in the Isuzu UTE A-League, the stars aligned, his professional and personal trajectories met at a crossroads.
The young defender, who penned a First Team contract ahead of the 2025/26 season, has, like many young players, been seesawing between ALM and NPL activity.
Balancing waiting for his turn and seizing every opportunity is a well-trodden path for emerging talents. Saturday, Razmovski took some big steps.
On the occasion of his 21st birthday, a milestone celebration in everybody’s life, he recorded his A-Leagues debut as a second-half substitute against Western Sydney.
Speaking to MelbourneVictory.com.au, Razmovski detailed his appearance in the Round 12 fixture and what it meant to have his family watching in the stands.
“I didn’t know if I was gonna be in the squad, and then I was on the bench, and then one-nil down, the 87th minute came. Dura (Andrew Durante) called my name and Jing (Reec), and then it was a pretty surreal moment.
“It’s my childhood club. So it’s kind of a dream come true. I had my parents, my mum, my dad, my brothers, my uncle and my auntie in the crowd too. So, it was good to make my debut in front of them. It was just so surreal playing, the intensity of the game, it was just an unbelievable feeling.
“I don’t think my dad’s ever really missed a game that I’ve played, they pretty much come to every game, mum and dad. Then, because we thought I could be in the squad, my auntie and uncle came and my brothers.
“Dad took us to the [2015] Grand Final; he got tickets at the last second, and we won it. So that was an unbelievable feeling. I was only maybe 12 or 13 at the time, so it was good to see that… I’ve seen a losing final as well against Sydney FC, on pens. Seeing the highs, seeing the lows, as my boyhood club was just an amazing feeling.”
Razmovski follows his teammate Franco Lino, currently back at the Club on loan from Viking FK, in working his way through the entire NPL academy structure and onto the A-League stage.
The now 21-year-old joined Victory at the age of 13 in 2018, earning international recognition with the Young Socceroos, and reflected on his journey to date, as well as recalling the Boys in Blue, which inspired his progression.
“It means a lot because we reflect on some of the photos of the team from back in the day, and it’s only us who have gone through the whole thing. It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of persistence, a lot of effort.
“I’ve had a lot of setbacks. But looking back on it, it’s just unbelievable to know that me and Franco have gone through the ranks, and not many others have done that.
“Obviously, coaching us now in the NPL is Bes (Berisha). He was scoring all the goals at the time. There’s Mark Milligan, who I look up to because of his mentality and his hard work.
“There’s (Daniel) Georgievski. He’s also a Macedonian full-back, so I always used to watch him when he played here.”
Away from these highlights and bright lights, underpinning Razmovski’s story, is a constant – his parents. He credits their devotion and sacrifice to giving him a fighting chance at the elite level.
“My parents have driven hard work into me from a young age, and it’s more just giving back to them, because I’ve seen the sacrifice and time they put into me to take me to training every day. They used to leave work early, pick me up from school, and take me to training.
“I decided I was going to put in 100% every day, and if I don’t make it, it’s not going to be because I didn’t work hard enough.”
Onlookers may have forecast the Victorian-born defender to feature in the A-League long before the start of 2026. After all, it has been a long time between drinks.
Razmovski’s senior bow came back in July 2023. In the Australia Cup, he played 29 minutes of qualifying round action against Newcastle Jets at Darwin Football Stadium, where Victory were eventually edged on penalties.
Unfortunately, injuries determined the outcome of his next chapters. The bad luck of a broken wrist was compounded by the woe of a broken arm, and for a player equipped with bundles of energy, the requirement for a modern-day full-back, this was being burnt without the supplement of match minutes.
“That first little taste you get, you just want to get back on the pitch and play again.
“It’s hard during those setbacks, because you’re running on the outside of the pitch, and all you want to do is play and take your chance.
“It took persistence, hard work and patience. Obviously, during that time, sometimes there are doubts in your mind, you don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s not in your control.
“But even after my injury, the staff kept pushing me to come back to A-League training, and pushed me for game time in the NPL team, so credit to them. They got me back playing as quickly as possible.”
