Which centre-backs did you admire growing up?
More a playmaker than a defender, but [former Germany international and current Bulgaria manager] Lothar Matthäus was my hero. For his will to win games, more than anything. To this day I’ve got that fight in me never to lose. I learnt that ‘Never Say Die’ attitude from [watching] Matthäus, and that’s probably how I ended up where I am today.

How about defenders today?
Nesta. He’s been nothing but dependable for Milan over the years. Just a fantastic defender. The way he reads the ball. The way he reads the game. He’s never beaten one-on-one. Such an elegant player too – I’m sort of not. But Nesta, he’s the complete central defender.

Obviously you’ve had a busy couple of years: cementing your spot in the national team, winning the AFC Champions League captaining K-League’s Seongnam IIhwa Chunma and being named 2010 Asian Football of the Year. What’s been your highlight so far?
I’d have to say debuting for my country against Egypt [November, 2010] without a doubt. The moment I put on that top in Cairo I knew. To be finally recognised after all that time was my proudest moment.

So what’s next for your career? There are rumours of the Bundesliga.
Yes, well. I have to choose wisely at the age I am now. I’m 32, and I’m not a free player. I’ve signed a three-year contract in Korea. I’d love to get to Europe eventually, but clubs aren’t too keen on paying for 32-year-old players.I’ve had interest from some clubs in England, championship and lower-Premiership clubs, but the truth is I don’t have enough caps for that sort of move yet, especially for this next transfer window. We’ll have to wait and see on all of that moving forward, but right now I’m happy in Korea.

And why Korea?
I had a bunch of offers after the way I was playing for Adelaide, some from Japan and some from South Korea. The coach of one of the Korean teams [Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma], Shin Tae-Yong, was once part of the team with me at the Roar and knew me, as a player and as a person. So that made the decision easier. I had a great relationship with the boys at Adelaide so it was important for me to find a coach that knew me and respected me the same, instead of a new manager who gives you three or four games to impress. Also the club is based out of Seoul which is a great place to live and to train; the facilities are great. And it’s a great place for my family. Seoul as a city is buzzing.

So are you a rock star in Korea?
Ha! Not really. The Japanese boys get hassled a lot more on the street than me. The K-League isn’t massive. It gets pretty packed in the stadiums when the national team is playing. But it’s still quite a small league with only three or four clubs really challenging for the title. At best you’ll see crowds of 15,000 to 20,000. A-League crowds are much larger as a whole, much stronger supporter-wise.

Physically, are you a giant over there?
You’d be surprised! Some of the Korean boys are pretty tall actually, and really big too. Not as strong as me, of course [laughs]. They might be a little flimsier but there’s some big boys over there, that’s for sure.

You started every game and played the full 90 minutes in Australia’s 1-0 defeat to Japan in the 2011 Asian Cup Final. It must have been quite a slap in the nuts...
It was very frustrating, yes, to come that close to being the best [national] team in Asia. I’ve had that feeling at club level in the Asian Champions League before. We could have won it too. It would’ve been the icing on the cake for me but it wasn’t to be. Luck just didn’t favour us that night.

What would you say was missing?
Nothing! We had three or four great chances and we didn’t take them. I didn’t feel we were lacking in anything though. Perhaps if Josh [Kennedy] was there. I mean, attacking wise Harry [Kewell] and Tim [Cahill] performed brilliantly throughout the tournament, but perhaps if we had the option of throwing on Josh, even from the bench, having the big guy up there might have helped us, but he was injured. Overall, I’d say the whole team was sound. Defensively, to only concede two goals over the whole tournament, speaks volumes for our team, not just the back four. The whole team was committed to the end.

Continues on next page...