When Emmanuel 'Manny' Muscat made his first appearance for Phoenix in 2008, it'd be a fair bet not one of the club's fans had heard of him.
He was really only signed to provide fullback cover for Tony Lochhead who was trialling at Middlesbrough and Vince Lia who suffered a season-ending injury in the very first game of the 2008/09 Pre-Season Cup.
I remember watching him being led a merry dance by Danny Allsopp, Carlos Hernandez and Ney Fabiano before being mercifully substituted in a 4-2 loss to Melbourne Victory early in the regular season (in fact, two years ago to the day that I'm writing this) and surmising - along with the vast majority of Phoenix fans - that we'd see little more of Muscat unless there was an absolute emergency.
Indeed he lost his place - astonishing as it now seems to David Mulligan of all people - and had to bide his time before getting another run in the side. But his chance came again mid-way through the season and Muscat performed so well that he was an ever-present at right-back for the last 11 games of the campaign.
Muscat started last season as the first-choice in that position and held his spot until the one blot on his Phoenix copybook late last November. For the first time since the mauling against Melbourne, an opponent got the better of him. Roar's young starlet Tommy Oar caused him all sorts of problems, leading to an inexplicable brain explosion for the usually unflappable defender who aimed an elbow at Oar's head right in front of the referee. His red card was inevitable.
In hindsight, it was a defining moment for the club and the player himself. Three weeks later - with Muscat out of the side - Phoenix had collected just two of a possible nine points and were eighth at Christmas time. It was at this point Muscat's versatility came to the fore.
His CV with Victorian Premier League sides Green Gully and Sunshine George Cross hinted at some capability as a defensive midfielder, but when he was selected there for a New Year's Eve date with Central Coast in Gosford, most Phoenix fans scratched their heads. Muscat? In midfield?
The rest is history. A win that night was the first of six in the last eight regular season matches as Muscat shielded his back four from opposition forays, while anchoring midfield and allowing Tim Brown (and to a lesser extent Vince Lia) to bomb forward. The midfield trio was a huge part of Phoenix's run to the preliminary final, and Muscat's part in it was absolutely immense. He even earned a call-up to the Maltese national side for its 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
And so to this season, where Muscat has reverted back to a fullback role, and been Phoenix's best player. His one-two with Chris Greenacre, drive to the bye-line and pinpoint pull-back for Leo Bertos's opening goal against the Mariners on Sunday showed just how far he's come and how crucial he now is to this football club. He even demonstrated further versatility by playing left-back (with aplomb) in the pre-season friendly against Boca Juniors.
Barring injury (because form doesn't seem to be an issue) Muscat will bring up his 50th appearance for Phoenix in mid-October. Not bad for a guy who a little over two years ago wasn't even playing professionally, and possibly wondered if he ever would.
