FTBL spent a day with Rasic in his Sydney home as he showed off the priceless memorabilia he has collected throughout his playing and coaching career.

The 82-year-old managed the Socceroos for five years and famously took Australia to their first World Cup in 1974.

Rasic’s collection includes irreplaceable memorabilia of tracksuits, jerseys, documents and souvenirs of Australian and world football.

The former Roos boss said he wanted his collection to be available for everyone to enjoy and has even designed an iconic landmark football-shaped building over three levels to house the collection.

   CLICK THROUGH THE PICTURES ABOVE TO SEE HIS BLUEPRINTS AND COLLECTION   

“It’s something that would project us as a global people, the globe is everything and the shape of a football is a globe,” Rasic explained to FTBL.

“I want that roof to be 32 panels and the bottom to be 32 panels. I want three levels of a building which will always be around representing the ball and a lift would come to the centre of it.

“There would be games for the kids at the bottom as you must give something to the kids. The game is about them. Then comes all history of football, spectators, crowds, World Cups and the beginning of our country.

“It would be amazing and I would be the proudest man in the world if I can dedicate this to the nation. Everything is in place, it’s my name and no one can take that away.

“It’s my creation, my mind and I’m prepared to share that with the nation and don’t tell me we can’t do it, because it’s not impossible.”

Rasic said a dedicated football museum could create something special for future generations of Australian football.

“Unfortunately, the federation does not see this as important,” he said.“My mind is confused with people who run the game.

"They don’t see it, from all sports, there’s no individual in Australia that has this. From Rocky Marciano to Neil Armstrong to Pele to Diego Maradona - everything is here.

“Whatever we can complement this nation to become better through sport, it would be fabulous.

“Let football lead and create something special for new generations of Australians and we will have 500 (Daniel) Arzanis instead of one.

“If they become passionate, sport can give a springboard or opportunity. Technology and science is changing rapidly and employment is difficult.

“Wouldn’t it be lovely if sport to create income, from administration to marketing to playing. It would be lovely to be part of it.

“I’m the only coach in Australian football history who is member of Sport Australia Hall of Fame. What I want is for us to have our own Hall of Fame.”

Seeing the football museum in Sao Paulo, Brazil – and feeling as if Pele was in his presence – inspired Rasic to push for Australia to have something similar.

And he had two simple answers for the building's location and how it could be funded.

   CLICK THROUGH THE PICTURES ABOVE TO SEE HIS BLUEPRINTS AND COLLECTION   

“The most ideal location of the building is where the kids are. In my life, I coached over 1.3 million kids and any game is about the kids,” he said.

“We have women’s sport, men’s sport and we’re both enjoying playing the same game. If someone questions, ‘Is it for the women or not?’ – If you play within the rules then everything is for everyone.

“To be built, it’s not such a big issue. To maintain it is the massive issue. A body like New South Wales Federation which has their own land could create museum. That museum would be paid off within a few years.

“All these starving kids playing soccer for different clubs, they’re all members of New South Wales federation.

“If you have 300,000 visit the museum and don’t think what you pay for the museum because it’s a coffee, tea, sandwich. That’s income. I say it would be paid off instantly.

“If this is presented well to the government, any government that wants to be elected, you tell them ‘you’ll be in power because you’ll have over one million supporters, would you dedicate 10 million towards this cause? Yes? Thank you very much’.

“You have to be smart in today’s world. Ideas of clever of people can make you money, not lose it.”

All photos by Clement Tito