Sainsbury secured a dream move to Europe from Central Coast Mariners six years ago.

But the dream turned into a nightmare when, in just his first game for PEC Zwolle, a freak accident occurred when he fall on a sprinkler that had been left on the pitch.

The bad injury sidelined the centre back for nine months and meant he missed Australia's campaign at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"I pretty much started looking online for TAFE courses because I thought my career was finished,” he said on a Instagram live video.

"That took me nine months to come back from. My experience was horrible. I’m not going to lie; I didn’t have the best start.

"The only thing that I can really say to my wife, she was my girlfriend at the time is that she kept me together because I was falling apart mentally, physically and emotionally. I worked so hard to get overseas then all of a sudden it’s taken away from you just like that."

Sainsbury eventually returned for Zwolle but then suffered an ankle injury in his comeback in the Dutch Supercup.

He has since had stints in China with Jiangsu Suning, in Switzerland with Grasshoppers and back in Holland with PSV Eindhoven.

The defender now plays in Israel with Maccabi Haifa.

"People don’t understand how hard it is also leaving your family and friends behind and then come to a country where you don’t necessarily speak the language," he said.