He mistook the FFA Cup for the A-League Championship – and instead of pronouncing it as two words, the 30 year old Brazilian unfortunately combined it all into one word...and make it sound like "F**k up".

Referring to Melbourne Victory's Grand Final win, he said: "They are a great team - I think they got the f**ck up..." 

In the face of astonished journalists, he clarified he was talking about the "Australian Cup" – and the penny dropped about what he had been trying to say.

The new season striker has found goal just twice this season but came into the A-League on the back of a massively successful 2016/17 campaign in the K-League where he scored 26 times for Jeonnam Dragons in just 55 games.

But he revealed today he was actually injured at the start of the season and had played through hip flexor pain to cover for the absence of suspended striker Roy O'Donovan.

"I was doing my bit to help my team-mates," he said today. "My condition has been bad since the beginning but some circumstance you cannot choose, they just happen, like injury.

"I am 100 percent now but when I got it, I thought, okay I cannot shoot as well but I can play 70-80 percent.

"But you cannot do other movements because you are playing afraid."

Now Jair has sent out a warning to rivals that they have only just started to see the best of him.

"I started the season with an injury but now in the second part of the season I am starting to play as I can," he said. "Now every game is like a final for us and we need to win.

"We will be trying to push the other teams and get to the play-offs. I don't think our situation is easy but we were 12 points behind and now we are five points.

"If we can surprise Victory in our next game then we will have more confidence for the next stage."

He added: "This game on Saturday is like a final for us. We have to do our 100 percent.

"We always want the three points but the other side have a great team so we will have to concentrate and be intelligent on the pitch."