Exuding a tough persona of a man never shy of a fight, Postecoglou was almost brought to tears when speaking about the people he holds dearest while announcing his resignation as Socceroos coach on Wednesday.

“To my three boys, James, Max and Alexi you make me smile every day,” Postecoglou said, taking long pauses as he fought back tears.

“ ... And to my beautiful wife (Georgia)- I left 24 hours after Max was born (in 2014), because we were playing Ecuador in London.

“I’ll never be able to repay the sacrifices she’s made to allow me to follow my dream over the last four years coaching our national team.

“Hopefully some day along he track I get a chance to repay her, before she realises she can do a lot better than me anyway.”

And while reflecting on the tougher side of the job, Postecoglou thanked all who had supported him during his tenure as national coach.

“I have been overwhelmed and humbled by the support and the way the team has gone about it has resonated not just with football fans but Australian sporting fans, and I think the best is yet to come,” he said.

“It’s looked like I’ve been under siege in recent times and people have commented on my demeanour. My demeanour was because I was just that focused on getting us to a World Cup. I was serious about it, I always have been but it wasn’t a reflection that I thought I was under pressure. I literally could not walk down the street without somebody saying to me, ‘keep going, I love what you’re doing’.”