At the launch of the Adidas All In event in Melbourne, Soccer Reviews was fortunate enough to sit down with Mebourne Victory centre back and captain Adrian Leijer. Adrian talked about becoming captain, the national team and of course, football boots.
Soccer Reviews: You’ve recently taken over from (former captain) Kevin Muscat as captain of Melbourne Victory. That must have been a special moment for you.
Adrian Leijer: Yeah it was, but at only this stage it’s only for the Asian Champions League and, depending on who the new coach is depends on who get’s the permanent gig. It’s always a proud moment to captain a side and to follow in a guy like Musky’s (Kevin Muscat’s) footsteps, its big shoes to fill and I’m looking forward to it!
SR: You played in England a few years ago with Fulham. It must have been very special training with stars like Clint Dempsey and Andy Johnson.
AJ: Guys like that, you know, I suppose over there it’s a different standard and a different level. You come face to face with EPL stars and once you get there, you realise they are normal blokes and just like everyone else and it was a fantastic experience.
SR: As a centre back, you’ve probably played against some talented strikers. Who was the toughest opponent you’ve ever come up against?
AJ: Hmm. You’ve put me on the spot here! (Laugh) We’ve played against Argentina in the U17 World Cup and in the Olympics (Beijing 2008). I mean, they’re full of stars and at the Olympics, Lionel Messi was there. And in the U17′s, they had players like Angel di Maria (Real Madrid) and he too was at the Olympics and players like that. You always come up against good strikers all the time and in the Asian Champions League there’s some top strikers in that and it always keeps it interesting.
SR: Especially some of the Brazilians that are in the Asian Champions League.
AJ: Oh yeah. Incredible!
SR: Being a defender can sometimes be a bit of a thankless job. Were you always a defender or did you play further up the pitch in your early years?
AJ: (Laughs) Nah (in) juniors I was always up the field either as midfield or striker. But as I got older and as I got bigger, my body shape started to suit being a central defender more than anything. So I converted into that role and it was probably the best thing I’ve done.
SR: Kevin Muscat doesn’t have the best reputation in Australia or around the world. Is he different in person once you get to know him?
AJ: Yeah he’s a top bloke! What you see off the field is completely different to what you see on it. On the field, you want him to be on your team, but if he’s not on your team you probably won’t like him! He does have white line fever (SR edit: let’s hope it’s not like Robbie Fowler). But off the field, he’s a completely different bloke, a family man, enjoys a good time and the respect he has in the change room in incredible. But yeah he’s a very good friend of mine and I can’t speak highly enough of him.
SR: How often do you change your boots? Do you prefer certain colours whenever you pick your next boots?
AJ: I’m an Adidas man and they’ve probably looked after me for nearly 10 years now. I used to like the black boots and I used to wear nothing but black, but as the times are changing and when sponsorship becomes more important, the kids want to see the brighter colours and stuff. Lately I’ve been wearing some white ones and some yellow ones, but at the moment my favorite colour is white.
SR: It seems that there is a little ‘fashion parade’ amongst the players now a days with the boot colours. Are you into it or do you just laugh at it?
AJ: Yeah I see it and the boys cop a lot of stick for it! But I suppose that’s the way the world’s game is going and I suppose the marketing power in football is incredible. When people see guys like Lionel Messi or Archie Thompson or people like that with bright colour boots, I suppose it makes them want to go and get them. That’s the world of football and the world of business and I suppose it adds a bit of intrigue to the game.
SR: Socceroo, Melbourne Victory captain, what’s the future going to bring for Adrian Leijer?
AJ: I’m 25 now so a lot has happened. But I think there is a lot that could still happen. My main focus is Melbourne Victory and getting it back to where it should be. We’ve lost our coach and it’s going to be a pretty important few years for us to come so hopefully we can get back to winning ways at the top of the table. I came back from England for a championship, I just missed out the first year and that’s all I really want and that’s the main goal.
SR: We’ve all had players we’ve been inspired by or we idolized in our younger years. Any standouts for you?
AJ: When I was younger, I always looked up to Harry Kewell just because he was so young and he went over to England and made such an impact. But as I grew up, as a defender you look up to Craig Moore and when Muscat did sign with us (Melbourne Victory), for me to have a Socceroo who has done so much for our country to come back was a pretty special moment. I think to have learnt off him for the past few years has been great for me.
SR: Finally, what’s the best bit of advice you’ve received in your career?
AJ: I think just to enjoy it. Sometimes you can get a bit caught up in it and there is a lot of pressure in football and sometimes you forget it’s a game. So just enjoy it, work hard and make the most of your ability and enjoy the ride!
SR: Adrian Leijer, thanks a lot for your time.
AJ: No worries, thanks mate.
A huge thanks to Adrian Leijer for sitting down with us and bringing his strong Aussie accent and personality to the interview. We wish him the best of luck for his Asian Champions League game on Wednesday against Tianjin Teda and for the rest of the ACL campaign, I’ll be watching! Of course, this couldn’t happen without Jeremy Drake of ESP and thank you for arranging everything on the day.
