The 49-year-old is already the toast of New Zealand football after leading the All Whites to last year’s World Cup.

He has also done the business at club level and will take charge of an A-League team for the 100th time when Phoenix play Victory.

Herbert coached the ill-fated New Zealand Knights for the final five matches of that club’s 2006/07 campaign and has racked up 94 games in charge of Phoenix since 2007/08.

In a strange twist, Melbourne Victory has been a constant factor in Herbert’s A-League career.

His first match in charge of the Knights was against Victory. His first match as Phoenix supremo was against Victory and now, 99 games later, Herbert will celebrate his ton against the Hyundai A-League’s most successful club.

“We’ve got the trifecta, haven’t we,” Herbert said. “We lost the first one with the Knights (4-0) and drew the second with Phoenix (2-2), so maybe we can go one better against them tonight.”

Herbert said he was proud of the achievements of Phoenix, especially given that many pundits had predicted the death of professional football in New Zealand following the demise of the Knights in 2008.

He added: “It does signal that football in New Zealand is good and stable and personally I’m very proud if it. To do it pretty much with one club, too, has been great and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Having been part of the group that started the club alongside (club chairman) Terry Serepisos and to still be here doing things is special – we’ll see how long that continues!”