Well-earned rest: Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan played 68 matches for club and country in the past season. Credit:Brendan Esposito "The mental fatigue is extremely high, to keep your focus alert to be able to respond to that one split-second moment is incredibly demanding," he said. "At training the goalkeepers are always the last off the pitch, we can come in 10 to 20 minutes after everyone has finished. "I have plenty of time to de-stress over the next few weeks. I'll be playing golf with my uncles; kicking back with my friends and while I'm treated incredibly well at Club Brugge that's what I miss ... the little things, family, chilling with friends, little cousins birthdays and kicking the ball around with them." Ryan credited his discipline allied with a strict dietary and training regimen for giving him an edge. "It's all aspects of life," said Ryan, who can cover up to six or seven kilometres in a game. "Your diet is important, your sleep is just as important and I've been fortunate to have educated people around me, like Pedj Bojic when I was at the Mariners. Apart from playing Pedj was also a personal trainer and he gave me guidance on a few things and by hanging out with him I also saw how he ate.

"As a result I try and follow the paleo diet; plenty of protein and apart from match day where I might have pasta and bread, I don't eat many carbohydrates and I avoid artificial flavouring and sugars. "After a game I'll pig out because that's when your energy is depleted and needs a boost. In the season I've just completed, with such a large number of games, I steer clear of alcohol unless I have the following day off." Ryan said when he decided he wanted to become a professional footballer he accepted he'd need to sacrifice what most people his age considered a part of every day life. "Family comes first but football is a very close second," he said. "Everything I do in my life is geared towards me having the best career I can possibly have ... I do what I can to get whatever edge I possibly can." However, Ryan admitted that he returned to Sydney, just as his teammates in Belgium had returned to pre-season training, looking forward to some time out.

"In my first season in Belgium I played [52] games which was a step up for the 33 I'd just played in the A League and this year has been crazy on a completely different level," he said. "I did my best to adapt to the demand but there were times when I struggled; I couldn't sleep; I couldn't recover for games towards the end of the season and I was a bit flat at training because as a young guy I wanted to work, work, work ... go a hundred miles an hour ... but as a result of that I've learned to adapt my training in order to ensure come match day I'm at my peak condition. "This year was a huge learning curve and I'm sure it will prepare me for next year and I won't have little flat spots along the way if I put into practice what I learned over the last season." Ryan said his strict views on how he treated his body – and mind – as an investment in his future were galvanized by the time he spent in the Socceroos camp with Mark Schwarzer who, at 42, is still playing for Leicester City in the English Premier League. "He didn't eat cereal or toast for breakfast, he ate steak and vegetables to keep his body in the best possible shape," he said. "I looked at him and the career he's had and he's still going strong."