The former Heidelberg United youth started his career in exciting fashion. It all came very quick for Nabbout, 19-years-old, whisked up by the youth system of Australia's biggest club. 

It's a journey many young Aussies could only dream of, but when it fails, it leaves a gaping hole in its wake. 

Nabbout made 40 appearances for Victory across three seasons, rarely finding a confident place in the squad before he was dropped in 2015.

Unable to find a single club to take him for six months, he left for Malaysia's second division. Then things went from bad to worse. 

“I fell through the cracks at the Victory and lost my confidence. I overcame anxiety and depression,” Nabbout wrote for Player's Voice.

"In Malaysia, I worked harder than ever before, only to be cut loose because of club politics. I was left without a club and seemingly without a future in the sport. 

“It got to the point where I did think maybe I wasn’t good enough… I reached a low point in my career. I was battling a lot of anxiety and depression.

“I’d come home from training and go to my room and shut the lights off and sit there, staring at the ceiling for hours. I didn’t want to see anyone or speak to anyone. I had no patience. I was constantly angry.

“I felt like smashing a ball against a wall until I had nothing left because football is my whole life, and someone was effectively saying I wasn’t good enough.

"I didn’t know what else to do. The thought of throwing in the towel did cross my mind, but I never gave up all hope."

His form in Malaysia was eventually Nabbout's saviour. Alongside Joel Chianese, Nabbout's prolific period saw him notch eight goals and nine assists in 12 matches. 

When Lawrie McKinna and the Jets came knocking, the decision was obvious.

Now, a breakthrough season for the Novocastrians behind him, Nabbout's looking towards a Socceroos debut against Norway or Colombia, as well as a prolific J-League career with former Asian Champions League winners Urawa Reds. 

But he believes he owes a lot to the Jets. 

"I owe a lot to this town and to this club. They took me in when no one else would. I had nowhere else to go when I got back from Malaysia and the Jets gave me an opportunity," Nabbout wrote.

"That’s why I got emotional. This club and Lawrie McKinna resurrected my career."