By Lance Jenkinson
Green Gully Cavaliers veteran Manny Muscat will draw the curtain on his illustrious playing career this weekend.
A well respected leader and highly rated player, Muscat was the heartbeat of all of the teams that he has been a part of.
The 34-year-old played over 200 games at A-League level with Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne City and had two stints with Green Gully Cavaliers after getting his start with Sunshine George Cross.
He was captain of George Cross at the age of 19 before crossing to Gully in 2007, where he took out the club’s player of the year honour.
It was Muscat’s dominant first stint with Green Gully that pointed him towards an successful career in the A-League and internationally.
The full back/defensive midfielder was capped nine times by Malta, including featuring in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Sweden and two Euro 2012 qualifiers.
“The opportunities that led me to my A-League days included playing with Gully legends Dean Fak, Zoran Makovski, Dragi Nastevski, Jeffrey Fleming and the Vargas brothers [Andy and Rodrigo],” Muscat said.
“I want to take this opportunity to say thanks to the Green Gully Soccer Club and my family for all their support throughout my career, and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead and spending some quality times with my family.”
Green Gully is encouraging all club members and local soccer fans to get to Green Gully Reserve on Saturday at 3pm to pay tribute to Muscat in his final game for the club against Oakleigh Cannons.
