Melbourne Victory have confirmed Matthew Spiranovic, Subway Socceroo #515, has announced his retirement from professional football.
The 34-year-old represented Australia 36 times at senior level, including at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and won the 2015 AFC Asian Cup on home soil, starting five of six matches in the tournament including the 2-1 extra-time win over Korea Republic in the Final at Stadium Australia.
Spiranovic also represented Australia at youth level and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games where he started all three group matches.
Over a stellar club career, the defender won the Asian Champions League, A-League Premiership, German Cup and Australia Cup including stints at 1.FC Nuremberg, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al-Arabi, Hangzhou Greentown, Western Sydney and Perth Glory.
In a statement released by Melbourne Victory, Spiranovic said: “I would like to take this opportunity to announce my retirement from professional football.
“After suffering an ongoing foot injury for the last 4 months, the time has come for me to hang up the boots. It is with mixed emotions, as I would have loved nothing more than to finish the season and help get Melbourne Victory back to the top.
“I would like to thank my teammates, all the coaching staff, Tony Popovic and the entire Club for the support and great times we’ve had together. Overall, I feel very blessed and proud of the career that I’ve been fortunate enough to have. To all my past clubs, teammates, coaches and fans, thank you for all the fond memories and special moments.”
