“You just have to tick off little boxes and little stages,” he says. “For me, it’s not about looking long-term but looking at the short-term. My wife had to put up with a lot. It wasn’t an easy thing. I had my friends ringing me every day, I had my family on Skype and I had to deal with the situation as best I could. One of the biggest supports was Harvey Sharman at Leeds United. He was great. He’s like family to me because he’s been through it all – he did everything with me. He came to New York [for treatment for an infection], he came to see me nearly every day – he did it all with me. I owe a lot to him – he did everything for me.

“Hopefully this has made me a stronger person. I’ve never wanted to play football more. Football is my life but sometimes it puts everything into perspective that football isn’t everything, your health is.” The image of the blood-soaked bandage wrapped around Kisnorbo’s forehead is a fitting image of the tough Melbourne-born defender. In fact, it personifies him perfectly. It represents a player who’s battle-hardened (and with the scars to prove it!). A player who, once he crosses the white line, makes his presence felt in a big way, whether it is head-butting the back of his opponent’s head when the ball is in the air or a bone-crunching tackle to get the ball. Yet beyond the tough guy persona is a man who’s the complete opposite away from the football field. Just as the bandage protected scar tissue that was sensitive and delicate, Kisnorbo’s warrior-esque exterior acts in the same manner off the field of play. “I’m not that type of guy,” he says in regards to the ‘tough guy’ image. “I was head-butted in the face and it’s just one of those things. I might look tough but I’m really a pussycat in the end!”

His on-field bravery has endeared him to many. Coaches applaud it. The fans love it. His uncompromising nature has seen him collect a Players’ Player of the Year Award at both Leicester City (2006/07) and Leeds United (2009/10), while he was also named in the League One PFA Team of the Year during that same season. Who says it doesn’t pay to be tough?

“I’m a simple player. I like to defend and the more clean sheets I can help keep the better. That’s my job,” he says, modestly. “I’m not a midfielder or a striker, I’m a defender, so as long as I can keep my man from scoring and help the other defenders around me keep clean sheets then I’ve done my job.”

His popularity among the fans, at all of his club sides in Australia, Scotland and England, has always been high. After all, fans value attributes such as effort, determination and bravery. And Kisnorbo gives that in spades.

“It’s been great,” he says. “At the end of the day, I’m living a dream that a lot of people want to achieve. There are so many up and coming players trying to do the same – that’s why I never take anything for granted.

“I still work hard and still do the things I need to do because I know there are some people out there that haven’t had the opportunity that I’ve had. But I’ve done it hard – I haven’t had the easy way. That’s why I continue to do what I do because I know how hard it is to get to where I am now.”

It’s a mentality that has helped Kisnorbo overcome a number of obstacles during his career. Just like a nagging defender niggling at your heels, Kisnorbo refuses to give up easily. So it should come as no surprise that the desire to represent Australia at Brazil 2014 is part of what drives him.

“Definitely,” he responds immediately with regard to playing at the 2014 World Cup. “After what I’ve been through, I want to be there. I’m not going to lie: I want to be there. I want to play in the biggest sporting event in the world. I want to represent my country as many times as I can, and I want to do that because I haven’t done that for the past 14 months because of injury.”

For Kisnorbo, to get there the plan is simple: play well and the rest will take care of itself. And given Socceroos coach Holger Osieck has made it known that form will essentially get you a call-up, it’s a nice confidence booster for a player that’s been out of the game for so long.

“Every coach has their ways of picking a team or picking players that he wants in his squad,” he says. “All I can do is try my best and play as best I can for Leeds. I can’t think of anything else. He’s got his own methods like every other gaffer has, so what he does and what he chooses is completely up to him.

“It’s great to know that he likes to give people a chance and hopefully I get a chance one day. I just want to play good for Leeds and whatever happens after that happens.

“I just want to play football,” Kisnorbo concludes. “When I got injured, my main aim was to play football again and now that I’ve got that chance, I want to do it as much as possible. I want to play as much football as I can, and as well as I can and let everything else take care of itself.”

This article appeared in the November 2011 issue of Australian FourFourTwo magazine. To buy back copies of this issue call 03-8317-8121 with a credit card to hand.

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