There are other stories too. How the 28-year-old recently traded his Porsche for a Mini. Or the Emerton family tradition of a camping trip for the boys of the family to a lake near Lithgow.

“One minute, Brett’s in five-star luxury, the next he’s just one of the boys in a sleeping bag under the stars near Lithgow,” says his dad. “When he comes home, all his cousins and us go up and camp out. Just us blokes. We have a game of touch football, or sit and talk and have a drink. Brett loves it up there.

“I’ve hardly seen him over the last 20 years. They say the trappings are good but by gee, you give up a lot, especially if you’re family oriented.”

The Socceroo also missed the birth of his sister’s baby recently.

“It’s hard but Brett’s very strong and that’s what gets him through. He played 50-odd games for Blackburn last year, plus Australian games. It’s tiring.”

Good genes help. Emerton’s mother Lyn played high level basketball, swimming, and hockey and she ran. His father also played football and rugby league. His sisters played hockey – they had a family “Team Emerton” at one point – and swam.

“I never forced him to do anything he didn’t want to do because by the time you’re 15 or so, they’ve had enough,” says his father. “It’s gotta come from within. My two girls had the same ability, but not the same drive.

“Brett excelled early on in his career at almost any sport he played,” says Michael, “little athletics, swimming, cross country running, rugby league.”

At nine, Emerton went into Football NSW’s programs at its Parklea complex, run by uber youth coach David Lee.

“This showed what sort of drive Brett had,” notes Michael. “He gave up his holidays at Easter and Christmas for that. He’d be living in Parklea and training every day. That’s determination. And he did that up until he was 15. Harry [Kewell] did the same thing. David Lee was his mentor. He set him on the right path. He was about teaching the skills rather than actually playing. David was all about skills, skills, skills.

“Brett had a game or two of league but didn’t like it as much as soccer. He would’ve made a brilliant rugby league player because he’s as tough as nails and can run all day. He could adapt to any sport.”

A 17-year-old Brett Emerton made his senior football debut 10 years ago in the old National Soccer League, although the day was more famous for a 15-year-old Nick Carle, who scored the winner for Sydney Olympic against Marconi at the SFS.

Kimon Taliadoros played against Emerton that season. “I was with Collingwood Warriors [a short-lived Melbourne NSL club] and we hosted Olympic at Victoria Park,” says Taliadoros. “Brett made an incredible impression in that game as I remember.

“He was uncontainable. We had no way in which to deal with him. His athleticism, his speed… At that stage I think we were just grateful he didn’t have the highly developed skills that he does now in terms of his ability on the ball. It was quite special. He reminded me of Stan Lazaridis. He just had that vital ingredient of any player in a wide position, which is remarkable speed.”

Taliadoros, capped nine times for the Socceroos and a 12-year NSL veteran, joined Olympic the following season.

“Brett was quite introverted and very focused,” he recalls. “He always conducted himself as a professional with his attitude to training, coaching staff and others. He obviously learned good traits at the AIS and those attributes were key in him being able to capitalise on his ability. And I recall he had a dry wit as well.”

Sydney Olympic’s coaching merry-go-round saw the ex-Socceroo David Ratcliffe replaced by returning Socceroo David Mitchell. The Glory assistant coach remembers his first game in charge.

“It was down in Canberra, we won 2-0 and Brett scored a wonder goal,” remembers Mitchell. “He beat about three players and calmly slotted the ball home. As a 17-year-old he was strong, powerful and quick.

“From that time, it was just a matter of time for developing. And he took the good option of developing himself in Australia.”