It’s been 15 years since the A-League Men’s most popular club first held the premiership trophy aloft back in 2007, let’s see where those 16 men, plus their coach, are now.
Michael Theoklitos
The goalkeeper, who now goes by Michael Theo, made 71 appearances for Victory over four seasons, and had a clean sheet in their grand final win. He is now the goalkeeper coach at Victorian rival Western United.
Simon Storey
After the premiership, Storey immediately left Australia to play for Scottish club Partick Thistle for three seasons. After taking a few seasons off after 2015 to focus on his physiotherapy clinic, he recently returned to play a handful of games for Langwarrin SC in the NPL2.
Adrian Leijer
The centre-back, who made 173 appearances for Victory between 2005 and 2015, has since spent time playing professionally in both China and South Korea. More recently he has returned to Australia to play for Dandenong City in the NPL.
Rodrigo Vargas
After spending a few more seasons with Victory, Vargas has since spent the majority of his career at the Green Gully Cavaliers in the NPL, before making his way to Nunawading City most recently.
Steve Pantelidis
After leaving Victory, Pantelidis played 49 matches at both Gold Coast United and Perth Glory, before ending his football career with the Oakleigh Cannons.
Fred
The Brazilian midfielder has since played most of his football in America, playing for both D.C. United and Philadelphia Union, making a brief return to Australia to play for Melbourne Heart. He retired in 2016.
Kevin Muscat
One of the most renowned Australian footballers, Muscat’s professional career as a player ended with Victory in 2011. He became head coach of Victory in 2013, before subsequently making his way to Japan to coach Yokohama F. Marinos in 2021 after six seasons at the helm.
Grant Brebner
Since his time as a player at Victory, Brebner has coached a couple of different clubs in Victoria, before becoming an assistant coach at Victory in 2020. Upon previous coach Carlos Salvachua’s departure, he was given the caretaker head coach position. Unfortunately, his ascension to the position coincided with the worst run of results in Victory history, which led to him being fired eight months after his appointment.
Adrian Caceres
Caceres played for numerous clubs after Victory, including fellow A-League sides Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix. He has found himself in legal troubles since his retirement, as he was convicted for trafficking illicit drugs and sentenced to 18 months behind bars in 2019.
Danny Allsopp
The striker spent two years overseas playing in both Qatar and the US before returning home to Australia, with his career finishing in Launceston in 2014.
Archie Thompson
Another iconic name in A-Leagues history, Thompson scored five goals on that faithful night 15 years ago. The Victory legend played another nine years at the club, and has more recently featured in Channel 10’s panel covering football matches.
Eugene Galekovic
Galekovic spent most of his career goalkeeping for Adelaide United. After a couple of seasons with Melbourne City towards the end of his career, he returned to the Reds to fill the role of goalkeeper coach, where he remains to this day.
Kristian Sarkies
The midfielder played a handful more seasons in the A-League Men with both Adelaide United and Melbourne Heart, before bouncing around to a number of different NPL clubs, most recently he played for Beaumaris SC.
Alessandro
This was his only season at Victory, as he returned to Brazil to play for Atletico Paranaense. He retired in 2012.
James Robinson
The Englishman retired from his playing career in 2014, and coached Brisbane Roar’s youth team in the National Youth League. He is now back in Ballarat coaching Ballarat City in the NPL Victoria.
Leigh Broxham
Club record holder for most appearances, Leigh Broxham has become an icon of Melbourne Victory. He continues to trot out on a regular basis as a defensive midfielder, and at the tender age of 34, who knows how many years he has left in the tank.
Ernie Merrick
Since his departure in 2011, Merrick has coached both Wellington and Newcastle in the A-League Men. He currently works with St Kilda in the AFL, mentoring their senior coach Brett Ratten.
Feature Image Credit: Ngau Kai Yan
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