Big European clubs heading to Australian shores is nothing new. It's been happening for decades but the past five years has seen a multitude of tours.
The latest club to head Down Under is Arsene Wenger's Arsenal who play Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wadnerers on Thursday and Saturday respectively.
FourFourTwo looks back on the modern A-League history of European and South American club tours of Australia which have grown in stature in recent times.
European giants Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus, AS Roma, Arsenal, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid are among those to visit in the past decade.
Juventus heads to Melbourne
Italian powerhouse Juventus attracted 43,357 to Etihad Stadium in May 2007 as they crushed Melbourne Victory 4-1. Despite the scoreline, Victory’s Carlos Hernandez scored the goal of the game.
Becks & LA Galaxy visit in 2007
It was David Beckham fever back in November 2007, when the LA Galaxy travelled to Australia for games against Sydney FC. More than 80,000 fans turned out as the Sky Blues won 5-3 although the big story was Beckham actually scoring a trademark free-kick.
Fulham & Wolves journey to Perth
English pair Fulham and Wolverhampton, both then in the Premier League, visited Perth in July 2009 for a series of games against Perth Glory and North Queensland Fury, with Robbie Fowler on board. In Fury’s 2-1 loss to Wolves, Fowler scored along with an Irishman called Andy Keogh, who’d later call Perth home. Fulham also travelled to Melbourne to play Victory.
Everton heads to Oz
The Toffees took on Sydney FC, newcomers Melbourne Heart and Brisbane Roar in a quick tour in July 2010. Everton won all three games with 40,000 fans turning out in Sydney, while crowds just below 20k went in Melbourne and Brisbane.
The Argies head Down Under
Buenos Aires powerhouse Boca Juniors took on Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix in mid-2010. Only 13,000 fans turned out in Melbourne as the Argentines won 1-0, while the Phoenix attracted 11,751 fans in Wellington for a 2-1 win.
Sydney Festival of Football
Sydney FC faced Scottish giants Rangers, Greek powerhouse AEK Athens (with Nathan Burns in tow) and then-Premier League club Blackburn Rovers (with Brett Emerton present too) for a small tournament. For the record, AEK won the tournament which wasn’t a huge success.
Galaxy returns to NSW
David Beckham’s LA Galaxy returned to Australian shores in late 2010, for a one-off friendly against the Jets in Newcastle. Landon Donovan opened the scoring but the Jets won 2-1 in front of more than 23,000 fans.
The Bhoys are back in town
Celtic visited Australia in mid-2011, losing 1-0 to Central Coast before winning 2-0 at Perth Glory in front of 15,000 fans. They finished off with a 1-0 triumph over Melbourne Victory in front of more than 20,000 supporters at Etihad Stadium.
Thrylos thrill in Melbourne
Greece-born Ange Postecoglou’s first game in charge of Melbourne Victory was against Greek powerhouse Olympiacos who eased to a 4-1 win in front of 16,000 fans at Etihad Stadium. Ange’s time at Victory started poorly too, with the full-strength visitors 3-0 up inside 25 minutes.
All-Stars born against Red Devils
The A-League All-Stars concept was born in 2013 when Manchester United attracted a massive crowd of 83,127 for a friendly at ANZ Stadium. United won 5-1, with Jesse Lingard and Danny Welbeck scoring doubles, while Robin van Persie rounded out the scoring.
95,000 fans sing YNWA
Liverpool had never seen anything like this as more than 95,000 fans belted out “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at the MCG. Steven Gerrard scored for the Reds in a 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory, which delighted the Liverpool faithful on a remarkable night. “The 'You'll Never Walk Alone' at the beginning was a real tear-jerker," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said.
Football United tour of NZ
Popular English clubs Newcastle United and West Ham United travelled to New Zealand for a series of exhibition games against Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC in July 2014. Winston Reid’s West Ham lost both games against A-League opposition.
Juve edge All-Stars
The All-Stars concept got a second and final whirl in 2014, with just over 55,000 fans turning out at ANZ Stadium for a 3-2 Juve win, with Alessandro Del Piero turning out against this former club. Paul Pogba was among the scorers.
Spurs & Blues face Sky Blues
Sydney FC took on Tottenham and Chelsea within a few days at ANZ Stadium in May-June 2015. Both games ended 1-0 to the English opposition, with Harry Kane scoring in front of 71,549 fans. Loic Remy got the winner for Chelsea in front of 83,598 supporters, a figure which beat the 2013 Manchester United-All Stars attendance.
Spanish armada sails in
La Liga club Villarreal took on A-League champions Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United in May-June 2015. Less than 9,000 fans were at Suncorp Stadium, with Devante Clut putting on the best show with two goals in a 3-0 win for the hosts. Villarreal won 3-2 in Adelaide.
Reds return to Oz
After their remarkable maiden tour of Australia in 2013, Liverpool returned in 2015 for friendly dates against Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United. James Milner starred with goals in both games, with crowds of 53,000 and 50,000 respectively.
The first International Champions Cup
Spanish giants Real Madrid, English big-spenders Manchester City and Italian powerhouse AS Roma made the trip to Australia for the first ever ICC tournament which included three games at the MCG, before heading off to China. No A-League clubs were involved.
Cristiano Ronaldo was memorably the star attraction as Real beat Man City 4-1 in front of 99,382 fans at the ‘G. City had actually started their tour with a behind-closed-doors friendly against sister club Melbourne City on the Gold Coast too.
International Champions Cup version 2.0
Juventus, Tottenham and UEFA Champions League runners-up Atletico Madrid were included in the 2016 ICC, along with Melbourne Victory but crowds were well down on the previous tournament. Victory teenager Seb Pasquali provided a highlight with his display, prompting a move to Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam.
Liverpool & Aaron Chen shine in 2017
The Reds made their third visit to Australia in four years but their first to Sydney in May 2017. Liverpool won the game 3-0 over Sydney FC but the real talking point was ABC2’s coverage led by bemusing sideline reporter Aaron Chen.
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